


Move On Dragons

by Aweebwrites



Series: Here be Dragons [4]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: ., Alternate Universe - Dragons, Angst, Comfort/Angst, Dimension Travel, Domestic Fluff, Dragon transformation, Dragons, Family, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Garmadon's A+ Parenting, Kai is that cool encouraging older brother to everyone, Multiple Personalities, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Permanent Transformations, Planetary Recovery, Team as Family, Transformation, War Aftermath, Wu's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2020-08-11 16:23:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 63,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20156533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aweebwrites/pseuds/Aweebwrites
Summary: Now that the Oni have been defeated, all is well...Right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heh. I'd how many chapters tjus eill have but it'll be long. I'll try to update at least once a week.

“Alright. The Oni are old news. Maybe we can finally do some sight seeing?” Jay asked, resting his hand on his jaw, completely bored.

Ever since the defeat of the Oni 3 whole days ago, they’ve been doing nothing but damage control. Not all them though. They had to stay at the Monastery while Kai, Lloyd and the other dragons went out and about. They all seemed oddly serious after the first day but even now being able to speak like them and understand them didn’t get them involved. Sure the mountain was pretty amazing on its own but there’s only so many times they can go hiking along the height of it before they grew sick of it.

“Don’t get your hopes up. Things are still a little tense around here.” Nya says with a shrug, laying on her back and cloud watching, eyes occasionally drifting to the planet’s rings and moons, still visible in the light of day.

“Nya is correct. If the dragons have reason to be tense still then we shouldn’t relax either.” Zane told them, resisting the urge to listen in on a group of very anxious dragons speaking to each other in low tones.

“I’m more curious how we can understand them though. We haven’t been here for as long as Kai.” Cole says with a contemplating look.

“I have a theory for that.” Zane says, focusing on Cole. “Logic doesn’t quite work the same here so it is safest to assume that it is due to our powers were merged with the other dragons’ for some time. I feel our powers have drawn from the draconic ways during. We can’t say for sure if they can speak like us now however. Not without asking and at the moment, interruption is not a good idea.” He says, looking across at the brooding Smoke and Shadow dragons.

“Huh. The more you know.” Nya says intrigued.

“That’s cool and all but th- ow!” Jay yelped then stuck his now bleeding tongue out.

“I think that’s a safe sign for you to shut up.” Cole chuckled and Jay pouted as they laughed at him.

Meanwhile, Kai and Oni Lloyd looked back at them hearing their conversation, the first half sending a feeling of guilt through them both. They’ve been so busy with the dragons, they accidentally left their friends in the dark… Again. They shared a look, no words passing between them, their expressions saying it all. Kai sighed, looking troubled before he nodded. They both took a short lope over on all fours, stopping before the group.

“So. Bad news.” Kai says once he had their attention, his long scaled tail flickering anxiously. “The Oni may be gone but the damage they left behind still lingers.” He told them and they looked confused.

“What kind of damage? The crater?” Cole asked, puzzled.

“The crater is not even a problem to begin with.” Lloyd spoke up, sitting on his haunches. “The clouds they spread out almost globally is the problem. It might be gone but it had been there a while.” He explained, tapping a claw against the rock that made up the mountain beneath them.

“Two months or so.” Kai clarified. “The wildlife here couldn’t handle it, the lack of sunlight combined with the heavily reduced oxygen levels… Well, that leaves us with over 80% of both flora and fauna perishing.” He says and they all gasped.

“Holy heck! That’s- that’s mass extinction, isn’t it?!” Jay asked, looking to Zane.

“Correct.” The Nindroid confirmed but frowned. “But if that is the case then-”

‘We can’t live here anymore.’ They looked up to Morro who padded over with Lloyd and the others. 'At least, not for long.’ That last bit was hushed.

'It would take years for Nindrago to recover from this. Years we don’t have. At the rate of how things are going… We’re on the brink of extinction as well.’ Dragon Zane says solemnly. 'All of our major food sources have dried up already. The rainbow fish from the underground river ran dry today. What we’ve gathered is hardly enough to feed us as is.’ He continued and the ninja looked horrified.

'Our future… Looks very bleak.’ Dragon Lloyd says quietly.

'W-we can’t just sit back and let that happen!’ Jay yelled, getting to his feet. 'There has to be some way to fix things!’ He says determinedly, the others agreeing as they stood.

'Unless you can magically reverse the damage the Oni left behind, there’s nothing to do.’ Morro growled, glaring at Jay.

'Take it easy Morro.’ Kai says, reaching out to stroke his closest leg comfortingly. 'There has to be a way. And we’ll find it.’ He says, looking up at him, eyes blazing in determination.

Morro wanted to say otherwise, to put out that foolish hope they all had. But.. The truth of it all is that he was hopeful too. In his eyes, Kai can do anything. Surely he could help them with this too.

'If only we could live in your world instead…’ Dragon Jay huffed sadly.

They all snapped their heads up at that.

'That’s it!’ Human Nya gasped. 'They could live with us!’ She grinned.

'Yeah! And since time runs slower there than here, they could always go back after a few years have passed here!’ Human Cole agreed.

'Is it even possible? I mean, it’s all of us this time, not just a few. That’s a little over a hundred dragons. Can your world handle so many of us?’ Dragon Lloyd asked seriously, wanting to hope this was the solution but not wanting to pressure their world with their presence.

'Ninjago is large and admittedly mostly empty. Most of the population resides in New Ninjago city. Otherwise, it’s scattered villages and small towns. My estimate indicates we would have enough resources to hold the entire population for a very long time. That is, if there isn’t a population bloom.’ Zane was quick to calculate, his robotic eyes glowing even more as he ran the estimates.

'No need to worry about that. We dragons live for a very long time. Mating is only once every 200 solar cycles. We are only 14 in.’ Blaze reassured them.

'So it’s possible?! Are we really doing it?!’ Dragon Cole asked excitedly.

'Hold on, I should let my dad know first.’ Dragon Lloyd pointed out.

'And we should probably talk to Sensei Wu about this too.’ Oni Lloyd added.

'Then we’ll pop back into our world real quick and grab Sensei to discuss here.’ Kai says, pulling out the Dimensional Crystal.

'We’ll see you in a bit.’ Dragon Lloyd says, walking over to nuzzle Kai.

'Don’t worry, we’ll sort this out.’ Kai says softly, reaching out to pat Morro’s snout once he came closer.

'I don’t doubt.’ Morro huffed, pressing his snout into Kai’s hand for a moment then stepped back.

Kai grinned at them then stepped back a bit.

He then held the Crystal up, watching it glow before opening a portal back to their Monastery.

“Let’s go!” Cole says, swinging his bag over his shoulder. “The quicker we do this, the better.” He says and the other ninja nodded.

They hopped through with all of their supplies, landing out in the training yard of their Monastery.

“Ok, let’s find and grab Sensei Wu.” Kai told them and they nodded, rushing in and dropping their bags at the door.

“Sensei!” Nya called out, looking around for him.

“Oh? Back so soon-”

“Sorry Sensei, no time for talking here.” Zane says, taking him by the hand as Kai held up the crystal again.

“Wait, I-”

“We can talk later. In you go.” Kai says, going in before them as a precaution before Cole and Zane all but carried Wu through.

The other ninja followed with Lloyd taking a last glance around before hopping through, the portal that vanished immediately after. The Sensei blinked once he arrived in the draconic world, awed at the large Monastery they had. 

“Ok, so here’s the deal Sensei.” Jay began to explain. “The Oni are dealt with thanks to reverse rules here but the Oni messed up basically the whole planet.” He says, surprising Wu.

“The cloud over blocked the sun for an extended time period that also included drastically reduced oxygen emissions inside the cloud.” Zane took over. “This lead to a mass extinction of both fauna and flora life. The Dragons are already low on food right now and the only way to save them all-”

“Is by letting them come with us to Ninjago to stay.” Lloyd told him, watching their Sensei frown.

“Zane’s already run the numbers. They can all live with us in Ninjago while this place recovers. It won’t impact Ninjago too much, aside from a little over 100 dragons living there. They’ll stay away from cities and villages!” Nya added.

“And even then, they still have a lot of space to roam! Lots of food too!” Cole piped in.

“Their world, Nindrago only needs a few years to recover. In about two months in our world, 5 years would have passed here. By then we could start checking to see how things are going.” Kai added and they all looked to Wu, trying to will him to say yes with the force of their collective puppy eyes.

“… I see. The situation does indeed seem dire.” Wu spoke up, stroking his beard as all 6 of his students awaited his decision. “But perhaps it would be wise to discuss this with the dragon elders before hastily deciding.” He says and the team grinned but their grins quickly fell as they noticed their Sensei’s clothes moving unnaturally, as if something was crawling up to his neck. 

“Uh, Sensei… What’s-” Before Jay could finish his sentence, a small head popped up from his collar. 

They all stared at the charcoal serpentine head that peered out from their Sensei’s collar, the shiny red slotted eyes looking at them curiously. The eyes then locked onto Lloyd before the creature gave an excited chirp, launching out of Wu’s clothes despite him trying to catch and stop him. The small- dragon they could now see it was- landed painfully on its back but that didn’t stop the wingless dragon from skittering towards Lloyd and climbing up him quickly, coiling its small, lean body around his neck, rubbing against his cheek with happy purrs.

They all stared at the dragon that was quite cuddly with Lloyd then back at their Sensei who cleared his throat.

“That was what I had tried informing you of. But right now, we have more important matters to attend to.” Wu says, gesturing for them to lead the way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for beta-ing @LucariosFish!!! ❤❤❤

Lloyd couldn't help but chuckle as the small dragon kept rubbing up against him, vibrating with his purrs like a neck massager.

"He really likes you, doesn't he?" Kai laughs, watching them as they lead Sensei to the dragon version of himself and Garmadon.

"Looks like it." Lloyd smiled, stroking the smooth scales on the top of the dragon's head between its small, sharp horns. "But where did you find him Sensei?" He asked as they entered the large Monastery where the others were gathered. 

"I did not find him. Rather, he found me," Wu told them as the dragons turned towards them.

'Lloyd, if you would,' Dragon Wu says, gesturing to the young Oni, and Lloyd nods, understanding he was to translate.

'We've caught him up to speed on the severity of the situation and the request for you all to come to our realm.' Lloyd informed them and the dragons nodded.

'We would like your approval before we cross the boundary between your world and ours. Our numbers are many, 112 to be exact, but we shall only stay long enough for our world to heal. We understand that our presence must be kept secret from the other inhabitants of your world, and we are capable of doing such. In return for your agreement, we've agreed to allow our strongest dragons to be at your disposal should their skills be needed,' Dragon Garmadon spoke, Lloyd translating as he did.

Wu nodded patiently, taking in all they had to say.

"...I would never deny you all the chance of survival." Wu began, Lloyd's translation putting all attending dragons at ease. "You are all welcome to take refuge in our world. Though it is fair to warn you, not all of our kind are as gracious as the ninja. They may be crafty and may seek to tame or capture your kind. As violent as the Ninja are, they are not omnipotent. And in such, you are free to defend yourselves where necessary." He told them, and both elders nodded, accepting that knowledge.

'Then we must leave quickly. Already the quality of the air in our world falls.' The large white dragon that was Wu spoke and the human Wu nodded.

'I will gather the others,' the large black dragon says, getting to his feet.

'In the meantime, we'll decide on the best location for you all to stay.' Zane says then turned to their Sensei. "I was thinking of Hiroshi's Labyrinth. That section of Ninjago is always desolate and the forestry provides ample coverage, water and food. No water transport passes by that section of the Endless Sea either which means they will have ample space to stretch their wings. Perhaps warning them to stay away from the Dark Island would be best. The dark matter there is known to permeate the air there after all," the Nindroid advised him, and Wu nods.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Renovations to the Monastery will be necessary, however. Are you ninja up for the task?" Wu asked, looking over his faithful Ninja.

"Of course!"

"Yeah!"

"We got this!"

"We can do it!"

"Definitely."

"Don't worry Sensei." Jay grinned. "Leave it to usss." Everyone looked to Jay with wide eyes as the blue ninja stood frozen, his blue eyes just as wide as theirs.

"... Jay?" Kai says, walking over to the brunette who snapped out of his shock.

"Haha! Don't worry about it! I'm fine! It was just a joke!" Jay laughs in denial.

"Just to be sure, I'll scan you." Zane says as his eyes glowed brighter.

"Do the tongue twister thing. She sells seashells on the seashore," Cole says and Jay hesitated.

He was fine. He didn't need to, right? He shook his head and began to say it anyway.

"She sells… seashells… on the seassshore." Jay grimaced once he did it again, panic dwelling up inside him.

No! No! He didn't want to be a Serpentine again! Last time, people would have beaten him to a bloody pulp if he hadn't outsmarted them! But how?! He was cured, wasn't he? **_Wasn't he?!_**

"There does seem to be minor changes in Jay's anatomy but we won't know more without a blood analysis." Zane reported and Jay's breathing picked up even more.

No. No! He didn't want to be a Serpentine! Didn't want to be some kind of- of monster!

"Hey, deep breaths," Lloyd says, placing a clawed hand on the blue ninja's shoulder, worry in his slitted green eyes. "We'll find a cure, don't worry." He reassured, confident that they would.

"Worry? Why would I do that?" Jay asked with a casual smile that confused Lloyd and Nya but made the rest of their team grimace. "I'm only turning into a snake yet again and living out one of my worst fears. Nothing to be worried about," he grinned, rocking on his heels.

"Oh boy. Here we go again." Kai sighed, crossing his arms, more worried than annoyed.

"This is the First Realm all over again." Zane says with a small frown.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with Jay?" Nya asked as the blue ninja prodded and played with Lloyd's padded hand casually, as if he wasn't on the verge of a panic attack seconds ago.

"It appears that under extremely stressful or distressing situations, Jay drops into this state, where he loses his inhibitions and becomes a lax, carefree person." Zane explains and Nya frowned.

"That doesn't sound healthy." Lloyd says, batting Jay's hands away from the small and tense, hissing dragon around his neck that wasn't open to playing with the blue ninja.

They all gave Lloyd a look at that.

"... Ok fair point." Lloyd says, getting the unsaid message. "What do we do now? I don't think he'll be very helpful like this." He asked instead.

Sensei Wu pondered this for a moment.

"Zane, you will keep watch over Jay and run the tests you need. The rest of you will aid the dragons in their transition to Ninjago. Perhaps it would be best for you to be able to open the portal at Hiroshi's Labyrinth rather than risk flying that many dragons there." Wu suggested and Kai nods.

"Alright. Let's do this," he says, holding up the crystal.

Morro watched them leave then glanced over at the bright green dragon that nuzzled him.

'It'll be fine. You'll see.' Lloyd tumbled low and Morro nuzzled him back gently.

'I know it will be. I was just thinking…' Morro trailed off, looking to where they disappeared to.

'Thinking you could stay with Kai instead of everyone else?' Blaze asked and Morro looked at him surprised.

'Hit the dragon right on the tail, didn't he?' Lloyd purred playfully and Morro huffed.

'Since Garmadon said we would be at their disposal, it's more likely we would be spending more time with them anyway.' Nya says as they all headed out to see where Garmadon was gathering the other dragons, Wu  busying himself with collecting what he would need and what he needed to protect from the elements while they were gone.

'Yes. You all. Not me.' Morro grumbled as he walked ahead, the others pausing to look at each other before bounding forward to catch up to the slender dragon.

'Of course you're included. How could you not be?' Zane asked as he nudged the dark green dragon, a bit hurt when Morro pushed him away with a wing.

'Don't play dumb. Look at me!' Morro growled, whirling around suddenly, leaving the others to duck to avoid being hit by his wings and tail. 'I barely qualify as a fully fledged dragon! I'm  smaller! Weaker! And it's all my own fault!' He hissed then turned away again, wings slumping as he remembered years ago when he made the mistake to run away, for something as superficial as the next leader of all the dragons.

As the fledgling he was, he shouldn't even concern himself over something like that, especially when Wu and Garmadon had possibly more than his lifetime left to live. When Lloyd was layed, Wu had mentioned him becoming the next leader of all the dragons, to guide the future generations. He should have known his place. He was fortunate enough that Wu had found him as a hatching and raised him. But he wanted and he was stubborn. He had left, had found himself lost and had found himself in the Cursed Plains. Nothing kept him there but stubbornness. The plains were desolate with hardly anything able to live or grow there but he stayed, wanted to prove a futile point, wanted to make Wu, his father regret, wanted him to suffer without him. Little did he know that Wu wasn't the only one left to suffer… Barely surviving off what little the Cursed Plains had to offer…

Stunted his growth greatly.

He was at least two heads shorter than Lloyd, the youngest and smallest of the group. He was thinner too… Weaker. All of the dragon kin here knew what happened between he and Wu by now and while Wu was happy to have him back, the other dragons weren't. He's tried to make up for his past greed, tried to be a better dragon… But there's no outrunning the past and the mistakes he's made. He glanced over his shoulder once a wing draped over him, not surprised once it was Lloyd.

'We've all made mistakes, Morro. The sad truth is, not everyone gets over them. But what's important is that you get over them and learn to forgive yourself. And hey, we're with you too. You're not alone here.' Lloyd crooned softly then nuzzled him.

'And sure, you're smaller than the average fully fledged dragon, but that doesn't make you any weaker than the rest of us.' Nya says as she walked closer, the others close behind.

'Yeah! In fact, you're stronger for surviving all of what you did!' Jay chirped.

'Jay is correct. While it is sad that you grew up in the Cursed Plains, you've done the impossible for any other dragon who should have attempted such a feat: you survived.' Zane added, casting him an awed look.

'Not even I could do that. And I'm pretty tough as you can see.' Cole says, stretching his large wings, the span exceeding all that the others have.

'And let's not forget that if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have won against the Oni.' Blaze pointed out, draping his wing over Lloyd's on Morro's back, giving the smaller dragon the dragon's version of a grin. 'You were as tough as Cole's skull to single-handedly keep the cloud from reaching the top of the mountain  _ and _ to hold that wind barrier for as long as you did,' he praised and the others gave awed rumbles of agreement.

'See? If anything, you're the strongest one here,' Lloyd told him, giving him an encouraging nudge.

Morro looked at them, took in their scents and smelled no lie. They… Really believe he's one of them… A purr slipped free before he could stop it, the sound surprising the others but only momentarily. Morro found himself being nuzzled at all angles, the accepting purrs filling his ears. His eyes stung. He nuzzled the closest one to him and purred in return, happy he had somewhere he belonged. Wu watched them all, a small bag attached to his body under his wing. He turned away, heart filled with warmth. He would always be there for his son. Always. But he can only do so much. The aid, the comfort of friends will do much for his ongoing recovery.

___

"We're here." Nya announced as she brought the Bounty to a stop over Hiroshi's Labyrinth.

"Alright. Let's do this." Kai says, flexing his wings as he walked towards the front of the ship. 

He then took flight, getting a safe enough distance away from the ship before using the crystal. The glowing magenta portal opened less than a second after, swirling ominously before him, bathing him in its glow. Kai only grinned then dove in with a twist. The others watched from the Bounty as the portal stayed open.

"How are things with Jay?" Lloyd called back to where Zane was running diagnostics with Jay seated before him, swinging his legs on the tall stool as he hummed, completely carefree.

"Well. I should have the results soon." Zane called back, running analytics on the blood sample he took from Jay.

He was glad he uploaded full courses on genetics after Kai returned from their dimension in his systems. He knew it was inevitable that they would end up there and he thought it would come in handy.

"Here they come…" Cole's announcement drew their attention to the portal.

Dragon Lloyd was the first to come through, the rest of the dragon version of their team coming through shortly after. One by one, the other dragons came through, stopping to hover around the portal, looking around at this new world they've now entered, the sound of their collective wing beats sounding like a never ending roll of thunder. On the other side of the portal, Kai watched as they all flew through with Garmadon and Wu, until only they were left. They did a quick scope, just to make sure no-one else was left before Wu flew through then Garmadon followed, the half dragon that was Kai on his head as he did.

_ Farewell Nindrago... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update! I'll be adding chapters more frequently from now on so expect at least one chapter a week! Thanks for sticking around!


	3. Chapter 3

'Alright. This is it. Hiroshi's Labyrinth. Miles and miles of unexplored territory. I think Mr. Borg had an old base here a few of you can use as a den. Maybe your Cole could widen it a bit.' Kai suggested as the thunder of dragons focused on him where he was still perched atop Garmadon's head.

'Perhaps you could show us this… Base.' Wu requested, the large white and gold dragon focusing on the half dragon and Kai scratched the back of his head, having no clue where it was.

'I'll take care of that.' They looked over to the hovering Bounty where the Oni that was Lloyd had spoken from, his hand absentmindedly petting the small black dragon taking a nap around his neck.

The dragon version of himself flew over and without prompting, Lloyd hopped out on his back, startling the smaller dragon around his neck. The wide eyed black dragon looked to where they once stood on the Bounty then back to their place on the back of a far larger dragon than he. The small dragon began chittering and nipping at Lloyd as if reprimanding the Oni for doing something so risky.

"Ow! Ow! I'm fine! No need to bring teeth into this!" Lloyd yelped, pulling his face back from the cranky black dragon.

'It's strange that he is obviously kin but yet… I cannot understand him.' Draconic Lloyd says as he flew him over to his uncle.

'It's odd to me too.' Lloyd says back, apologetically petting the black dragon's head. 'I could understand Firstbourne and while she's in the same dimension as I am, she's in a different realm. Well. That's assuming that this little guy is from this dimension.' He added, remembering that other dimensions were a thing.

"Well, lead the way." Kai says to Lloyd from his pace atop his dragon self's back.

The Oni nods then told his dragon self to fly straight ahead, the rest of the dragon nation following.

"We should follow too." Cole says to Nya from the Bounty and she nods, navigating the Bounty behind them.

Zane kept his focus, even as Jay poked and prodded at the microscope he was using while waiting for the results of the blood test he had ran. Looking at something at a microscopic level was beyond his abilities as a Nindroid after all. Though, what he was observing at this point does prove to be… Worrying. Zane sat back with a frown, professing all he has observed so far. Back then, years ago, Nya had said there was a theory that elevating one's heartbeat could cure the bite of a Fangpyre. It was all theoretical though. They should have known to give Jay a full check to see if the venom was truly gone. It wasn't gone, only had been lying dormant in Jay's very DNA all this time. Being exposed to the draconic dimension and its ways of mutating humans by simply being in that dimension for long had triggered it. 

Zane was just guessing here but the changes from human to draconian started the very second they crossed over to the dragon's dimension. It's just an incredibly slow process that gets faster over time. But while the change may have run smoothly in Cole and Nya, it must have ran into some trouble with the dormant Serpentine venom spread out through Jay's body. He imagines that both may have clashed for a bit before the stronger rose up- the stronger being the venom in Jay's DNA since the draconian influence would have been very weak at that point. The venom must have overpowered and used what little energy drive the draconian influence had to become active again, starting off as sluggish as it was now. But within a few days, a week at most, Jay would be almost completely Serpentine. He would retain most human features Zane felt sure of, but yet again, this was all theory. He can't say for sure this is the direction in which things will go.

"I take it that you've found something?" Zane looked up at Sensei Wu as he approached him.

He breathed out slowly then nodded.

"Yes. I have." He says, gaining Nya and Cole's attention as well. "I still need the blood work to say for sure what changes to expect but… The venom he had taken in from pricking his hand against the Fangpyre skull years ago hadn't disappeared with unlocking his true potential. Rather, it had became dormant. I theorize that the exposure to the Dragons' dimension is the trigger of why it's suddenly active again," Zane explained.

"I don't get it. Didn't it take Kai a month or two in the dragon dimension to start showing changes? And how does being in a dragon dimension turn one into a Serpentine?" Nya asked, confused.

"A change as big as going from human to dragon isn't a sudden thing. It's more logical for the change to start from the moment one enters the dragon dimension and slowly proceeds from there. My hypothesis so far is that once the influence of the dimension met the dormancy of the Serpentine venom in Jay's blood, there was a bit of a struggle between both genetically-changing forces. The venom which was more likely the stronger of the two forces must have overpowered the draconic influence and took it's drive to become active again," Zane explains then looked towards Jay who was only half listening. "From what I've seen so far, Jay will be completing his change by the end of the week." He added and they gasped.

"But- but if he's been bitten by a Fangpyre, surely we can just meet up with some Serpentine and make some antivenom, right? Right?" Cole asked and Zane frowned.

"We could try… But it's unlikely to work. The venom was from a skeletal system that dated back almost a hundred years. Serpentine now have evolved much since then. Their venom may not be the same. The antivenom may not have the components needed to cure him. Moreover…" Zane explained then looked over to Jay as the blue ninja smiled at him, cheeks in hand. "The venom has been in his system so long that it has become apart of him- apart of his very DNA. That alone is enough to almost guarantee that even if the antivenom is correct, it wouldn't be able to do anything." Zane told them and the others frowned.

"No need to look so glum!" Jay says cheerfully, gaining their attention. "I'm just becoming a snake man permanently is all! You guys can just kick me off the team if it comes to it. No biggie." He shrugged and his teammates looked at him in disbelief.

"As if, you damn airhead!" Cole snapped at him, leaving Jay to blink at him curiously. "We're gonna try everything we can to keep you normal and even if that fails, you'll still be apart of the team! Serpentine or not! Does it look like we give a damn what any of us become?! That won't stop us from being family! From being Ninja? No, so shut your damn mouth before I make you!" The Earth ninja says as he took a threatening step forward.

"Yeah! Cole's right! Heck, we could all become inhumane and I still wouldn't care! I didn't care that you were being Serpentine back then, and I sure as hell don't care now," Nya says, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Jay.

Said ninja blinked at them then smiled.

"You two sure do get worked up easily, huh," Jay jokes but Cole, Nya and Zane's eyes widened once tears fell down their blue brother's cheeks. "Still, it's a nice thing to hear. Thanks." Jay says softly and for a moment, he seemed like a completely different person, smiling and crying as he was.

"Come here you big-" Cole cut himself off to hug Jay instead, the blue ninja hugging back tightly, smile still in place, even as he buried his tear-stained face into Cole's shoulder.

Nya joined the hug, then Zane himself, though he had something else Jay-related on his mind…

___

'Here it is.' Lloyd says, looking down at the small clearing that hardly looked like anything else was around.

That was because the base was underground.

'The entrance might be a bit small for you guys. First, let me check if he still has traps out and about,' Lloyd said and his dragon self nodded then lowered to the clearing.

The green-eyed Oni hopped off before his dragon counterpart could land, earning more reprimanding from the tiny dragon traveling with him.

"Ow! Ow! I'm fine, aren't I?" Lloyd hissed then took him off from around his neck, leaving the small black dragon to coil around his hand. "Jeez. I know what I'm doing. I'm a ninja for crying out loud." That didn't appease the small angry bundle of scales it seems if the little guy's hisses and chittering were anything to go by.

"I'm not as careless as you think you know." Lloyd huffed as he walked towards the base on his hind legs.

The unimpressed look he received from the dragon had Lloyd sputtering.

"Ok, so maybe I'm not the best with self care but I'm getting better." Lloyd huffed and the small black dragon crawled his way back up around his neck, rubbing against Lloyd's cheek with a purr that made the Oni boy smile.

He then dropped down on all fours, shifting as he does to his full Oni form then took off, deciding not to keep the dragons waiting.

Kai in the meantime felt a bit guilty to not have come here all those years ago. If they had, would it have made a difference? The fire ninja only shook his head. He blinked once he caught wind of a few dragons murmuring to themselves.

'Why should we live underground like Oni scum?'

'Be grateful. These humans are willing to share their world with us.'

'But at what cost? To hide and burrow like snakes? If it were up to me, I'd-'

'You'd what?' The toxic dragon froze once he gained Garmadon's attention. 'Conquer this world? Do as you please?' The large black dragon asked, turning around to face the cowering toxic dragon as the others parted away from the grass green dragon.

'You're better off listening to your brethren. We are here out of courtesy and we will not cause the humans any trouble or harm outside of self defense. If any of you find yourselves unable to follow those simple terms for our very survival, then you will be sent back to our home world.' Garmadon declared and all of the dragons visibly shrunk at that.

They all knew going back would mean death. Even if they manage to find corpses of animals, the air quality would be so low and the waters would soon be impossible to drink, that it wouldn't ever be possible to live for long. They knew better than to test that claim. Of the two brothers that lead them, Garmadon was not only more strict, but he was never one to go back on his word. The toxic dragon swallowed thickly then flew back, head bowed in submission and acknowledgement.

Kai leaned against one of Garmadon's fabled horns of destruction. He hadn't even considered them wanting to overthrow humanity. He closed his eyes then crossed his legs. He still won't. Garmadon was different. They all were. They were good. Kai rubbed his cheek against the massive dragon's horn, a low purr leaving him- a sign of trust. He blinked his eyes open once he felt him lowering from the sky, landing quietly moments later. Kai shifted then slid himself down on Garmadon's nose, watching as large, red eyes focused on him.

'The base is more of a start. You guys don't have to stay underground. We expect you all to spend almost all of your time on the surface as the dragons you all are. We're prepared to help you all build a sort of home base anyway.' Kai shrugged, wanting to clarify with his adoptive dragon father. 'I mean, you will all be here for a while anyway. Might as well get comfortable.' He says, prodding at a large scale on his snout.

Kai was unphased when Garmadon tilted his head down, allowing Kai to slide right off his snout to land in his waiting paw.

'We will forever be in your debt,' Garmadon rumbled softly and Kai shot him a wide grin.

'What do you mean? You're paying your debt as we speak.' Kai says, confusing the elder dragon. 'You're surviving, aren't you?' The fire ninja asks, tilting his head to the side, grinning wider once Garmadon's eyes widened.

'That's Kai for you. He always has a way with words.' Kai looked back at the bright green dragon with gold horns that was Lloyd who was looking at him amused from his place seated before his father, at the perfect level with his father's paw.

'I wouldn't know about that…' Kai says, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

'Course you wouldn't. It would take away the appeal. You know?' Kai looked up to see the dragon version of his sister coming in to land, the rest of the dragon version of his family coming in too.

Before Kai could make a bashful comment, Lloyd returned, still on all fours. Kai hopped out of Garmadon's paw, using his wings to glide down to the ground, folding then against his back once he landed.

'There were a few that were still active but I've disarmed them. We're good to go.' Lloyd reported as he looked up at Kai, getting up onto his hind legs a moment after.

'Sounds like it's my time.' They looked back to the dragon version of Cole then nodded.

'I'll supervise,' Zane says as he walked forward, narrowing his slitted, icy blue eye at his fellow dragon who flicked his tail at him with a huff.

'I'm not some kind of out-of-control dozer bull.' Cole huffed and both Kai and Lloyd snickered, looking up at the dragon.

'It's called a bulldozer.' The small Oni corrected, amused.

'Let's go. We have a lot of work to do and very little time to do it.' Zane says, looking up at the sky.

It was getting close to midday already and they had to make a settlement there so everyone could rest.

'You guys go ahead. We'll get our Cole to help.' Kai says, taking Lloyd under the arms.

"Are you sure you can-" Lloyd's question was cut off when Kai beat his wings a few times, lifting then off the ground. "Oh. You've been working out?" He asked as Kai flee them towards the ship.

"Yeah. Since I'm the only one of us that can fly, it's only natural I work up the muscle strength to carry one of you guys." Kai says then beat his wings faster the strain getting to him. "I just… Can't carry you for long yet." He got out then almost dropped him on deck.

He set him down gently then blew out a breath of relief, flexing his wings a bit.

"Hey Cole-" Kai cut himself off, noticing the upset yet determined looks on everyone's faces.

"... Did we miss something?" Lloyd asked, shifting back to normal as he looked amongst them all.

"... I'll catch you up on things." Zane says as he walked over to them.

Minutes later, both Kai and Lloyd shared the same upset yet determined expression.

"We won't know unless we try. Skales is our ally so I'm sure he can convince a Fangpyre to spare a few drops of venom." Kai says and Lloyd nodded.

"The change is still in progress so maybe if we get him the antivenom before the change is complete, it'll have a better chance of turning him back!" Lloyd says and Zane only nodded.

He had major doubts but he won't dismiss the slight margin that this might work.

"You both need to stay here to help the Dragons settle in and you need Cole for it. Zane and I will head to New Ninjago City to talk to Skales." Nya instructed and they all nodded.

"But who will look after Jay?" Zane asked, taking the microscope from the spacy Ninja.

The team shared a look.

"I'm sure Lloyd and I can multitask. Besides. We should probably talk to him about this anyway." Kai says, looking to Lloyd who nodded once.

"Alright. So we're set then. Zane and I will take the Land Bounty. We'll be back soon." Nya says before both of them took off.

Lloyd looked Jay of as he hummed to himself, smile unwavering. He walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Jay. Things will turn out fine, human or Serpentine. You'll see." Lloyd reassured quietly.

Jay looked up at him with clear blue eyes then grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

"Here we go!" Cole grinned, slamming his fists together and activating his lava arms.

His dragon self watched in awe as he did so, leaning in closer to sniff at his arms.

'It's not hot or anything. Doesn't hurt either.' Cole told the large earth dragon then cleared his throat.

Dragon dialect was hard on his throat. It'll take a while before he can grow used to it.

'What does it do?' The large black and brown dragon asked him and Cole grinned.

"I'm glad you asked." He says with a grin then yelled as he rushed forward to the cave wall and slammed both fists against it.

The rock immediately began to break up, falling into small pieces before him as dirt and rock fell from the ceiling, a clear warning of an impending cave in that gladly never came.

"I'd rather not be buried alive, thanks." Kai says dryly as he kept his tail coiled around Jay's wrist to prevent him from wandering off.

He was getting good at training the appendage to do more than exist.

'Perhaps some roof support could do but not all dragons can stand the cold my ice would give off…' The white and blue dragon that was Zane spoke, tapping his lower with a claw as he sat on his haunches, a clearly human trait he's picked up.

'We could use our earth influence to create pillars of rock instead.' The black dragon suggested and Zane glanced at his fellow dragon thoughtfully.

'Question is, do you have the control to do so without bringing the cave down or making them too close for any dragon to have difficulty passing through.' Zane pointed out and that made the black dragon pause.

That sounded like a delicate task and delicate wasn't either Cole's thing.

'We can do it.' The black dragon looked down at the human version of himself when he spoke. 'Think of it as training!' Cole added with a confident grin and the dragon paused in consideration then nodded, feeding off his determination.

'Yeah. Leave it to us!' The large Dragon told his friend with a confident flick of his tail.

The white and blue dragon looked at them before nodding, the muscles of the corners of his maw pulling into the dragon's equivalent of a smile.

"Heh. You're really pretty." Kai blinked once he heard Jay's voice significantly father than he once was.

The half dragon looked back at his tail coiled around nothing then further still to where Jay was standing before the ice dragon. Said dragon blinked then huffed at the human displaying such strange behavior. The Oni Lloyd had explained to him that their Jay got like this sometimes. Zane's never observed this trait with their draconic Jay before. Then again, while their personalities are very similar, they are completely different creatures.

"Dammit Jay!" Kai yelled as he trotted over, snaking his tail around Jay's wrist again then tugging the lightning ninja lightly towards him.

"His white sssscales are really pretty." Jay says as he looked back at the white dragon.

'Perhaps some fresh air might be best for him and a chance to roam to burn off some energy.' Zane suggested and Kai considered it.

It's not as if he was needed to translate and Zane was more than reliable to supervise them too. Kai nodded then took Jay by the hand once he moved to pet the red scaled tail holding on to him.

"Let's go bud." He says, leading him out and Jay followed.

Outside, Most of the dragon population had settled down in groups. Blaze and Nya had taken a few to forage for meals for the whole tribe while the others stayed behind to ensure the welfare of the rest of the dragons. Right now, their Oni Lloyd seemed to be fighting a losing battle.

Lloyd grunted as he was pinned by the strong green tail of his dragon self.

'And I thought you were the green ninja, Savior of Ninjago.' The bright green dragon teased lightly then lifted his tail. 'You're not even strong enough to take on my tail.' He huffed, nudging the Oni to his feet.

'I could if I wasn't looking out for this guy.' The Oni huffed and the small black dragon looked at him with large, innocent red eyes. 'I'm not gonna suddenly run off you know. You can actually get off me from time to time. Not that I mind. Just, only when I'm fighting.' Lloyd says, narrowing his eyes at the small dragon who only licked his cheek.

The Oni gave an exasperated sigh as the dragon version of himself gave huffs of laughter.

'This one is… Curious.' The Oni looked up at the massive dragon that was their fath- er, his dragon self's father as he lowered himself, laying down so he could be on their level.

'Indeed. It's energy is quite… Familiar…' The large gold and white dragon Wu says as he kept a wing over a dozing Morro, the small dragon almost completely dwarfed by the large wing.

'You've met him before?' Kai asked as he walked over with Jay, letting him go so he could roam right after.

Their draconic Jay was already walking over to the spacy brunette so Kai was sure he'd be fine.

'Certainly not. If we had, not only would we have taken him in, but we would have to keep a very close eye on one so small. It wouldn't do to injure him out of negligence.' Garmadon clarified as Lloyd absentmindedly stroked the tiny dragon's head between sharp horns.

'His aura, his very smell is familiar though…' Wu pressed them shuffled closer to scent the small dragon who tensed and hissed at them, not too keen for more company than both versions of Lloyd. '... Oh.' The white dragon rumbled quietly and both Kai and his Lloyd looked up at the large Dragon confused.

'What is-'

'Dad…' Their attention turned to the grouchy Morro from where he had shifted under Wu's wing.

The large dragon's movement must have woken him up briefly since he was already asleep again. Wu himself was in awe. Morro had called him 'dad'. Something he's never done before. It filled the elderly dragon's heart with warmth. He curled around his adopted son, purring softly to sooth him once he made an irritated sound at the movement again. Morro settled quickly, curling himself up completely under the large wing of his father, yet again fast asleep. Wu nuzzled his head between his horns then settled as well, content on staying still so his son could sleep. He hasn't slept after the brief moments he was unconscious for after the Oni's defeat days ago. He always throws himself into the welfare of their tribe, no matter how much they insisted just him being here with them was enough. He would take this time to make sure he had a proper rest. Wu closed his eyes, focusing on Morro's presence. For now, he could tell he was more exhausted than anything. A solid meal once he wakes would be necessary. For now, he needs to sleep and rest for a few days.

Lloyd watched from his place next to his dragon self, wanting to ask what the large white and gold dragon had realised but not wanting to interrupt such a delicate moment. He glanced down at the small dragon that made itself home around his neck as he started to doze. He supposed the secret behind the charcoal dragon will have to wait a while longer.

____

In New Ninjago City, Nya and Zane were well on their way with their mission. Nya landed on her feet from her jump down into the sewer system with a grunt, looking around. Zane followed shortly after then a third joined them.

"The serpentine lair isn't too far away. It's approximately half a kilometer away in that direction." Pixal told them and both ninja nodded, starting their walk. "I don't understand how Jay was bitten. Did you all come across vigilante serpentine?" She asked them as she walked next to them.

"Not at all. He was pricked by a serpentine skeleton years ago. Long before we've ever met. Perhaps even before you were created. The venom laid dormant until we visited the Dragon's dimension." Zane explained as they looked around.

"You went to the dragon's dimension? I thought your contact with them ended after the village incident." Pixal says with a frown.

"Not quite." Nya says then remembered. "Oh and uh. The dragons are in our world for a while now. We gave them Mr. Borg's old base in Hiroshi's Labyrinth as a place to settle down." She informed and Pixal blinked.

"... I'll let my father know. But why are they here? Can they all survive here?" Pixal asked them.

"It's… A long story." Nya says as they approached the doorway to the serpentine kingdom. "I'll tell it to you after we get the venom." She promises as they took off into a run, hurrying to the guards there.

"Halt!" That demanded, spears pointed at the ninja and Samurai.

"Woah woah! Easy! It's us! The ninja!" Nya says and the Constrictai and Venomari guards narrowed their eyes at them.

"We're well aware of who you are." They blinked as Skales himself slithered out from behind the large stone doors. "Ninja. Ssssamurai. The only time any of you ever visit here is when you're in need of ssssomething." The serpentine king spoke and a guilty expression crossed all three of their faces.

Skales sighed.

"Come this way." He says as he slithered back in, both ninja and Samurai following after him. "What do you need of us this time?" Skales asked them and Nya winced a bit.

"Just a bit of venom form a Fangpyre." Zane told him and Skales looked at him from over his shoulder.

"One of you have been bitten?" The king asked them, hands folded behind his back.

"In a way, yes. A few years back. The venom became active again in our friend Jay's body. We'd like the venom so we can create an antivenom." Zane explained and Skales hummed.

"In that cassse, Fangtom is the one you should speak to." The king says, changing direction and slithering over to where the dual headed snake was, supervising the younger serpentine.

They noticed their approach then sent them off with an adult Cosntrictai so he could have the privacy to speak to them.

"To what… Do we own… The pleasure of… A visit from… The Ninja?" Fangtom asked, both heads room turns speaking.

"They'd like to talk to you about getting venom to create an antivenom for their bitten friend." Skales told him. "Though it ssssounds as if the venom hasss been dormant in their body for ssssome time now." He added as an afterthought.

"Yes, that's right. For a few years now. It only just started awakening." Zane confirmed.

"Dormant you sssay?" Fangtom's right head says, tapping his fang with a claw. "I will give you the venom… Though I doubt... It will do... Y ou any good." He told them and they dreaded hearing that.

"How so?" Pixal pressed.

"You sssee… Fangpyress more than… Any other ssserpentine… Are prone to change. We will either… Adapt… Or adapt the world… Around usss… With our venom. Change… Is in our nature… Our venom… May be very different… From the venom... They were… Infected with. After all… Sssome of us… Have only recently… Evolved to having… Two headsss…" Fangtom told them, confirming Zane's fears.

"We have to at least try." Nya says, tilting her chin up stubbornly. "We won't know for sure until we do." She stayed, tightening her fist.

"Then we… Wish you… The best of… Luck…" Fangtom says, accepting the container Zane passed him. 

He watched as they dipped a fang in, squeezing their venom in, almost filling it completely.

"Thank you." Zane says with a humble bow, covering the container. "Sorry to depart so hastily bit tome is of the essence." He added as and apology but Skales only waved them off, expecting that.

With that sign of dismissal, they took off, leaving the serpentine kingdom. Skales stood there, hands clasped behind his back.

"Do you think they will sssucceed?" Skales asked Fangtom who huffed.

"Not in… The ssslightest." Both heads of the red serpentine answered. "The true question… Is what will… They do when… The change is… Complete? And what… Would they… Look like?" Fangtom spoke and Skales hummed.

Interesting questions indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man Idk if this is late or not because I suck at timing but it feels like it! I'll try to be more punctual! Thanks for sticking around!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late but here it is!

"We've got the venom." Nya reported to the rest of the team as they gathered in the parked Bounty after finally finishing an underground system big enough to house all the dragons.

Well, all but Wu and Garmadon but they hadn't planned to go in anyway. Rather, they'd stay at the entrance as guards until they've finally built a new home for themselves.

"That's awesome! When will you guys be back?" Lloyd asked them as he stood before the display screen.

"In about an hour or two. We'll have the antivenom ready in a few minutes after." Nya told him as Zane drove.

"Alright. We'll keep an eye out for you then." Cole says from behind Lloyd who nodded.

"Great. Over and out." Nya says before cutting the feed.

"Hear that? They'll be back with the antivenom soon." Cole says to Jay who was poking at the fangs sticking out of his mouth.

"It probably won't work anyway." Jay says with a smile then stuck his longer, thinner dual tipped tongue out.

"You don't know that for sure." Kai reminded him, watching his friend closely so he wouldn't mess with anything dangerous.

"We'll sssee." Was all Jay said as he slid off the stool and headed out onto the deck.

"Jay-" Lloyd cut Cole's call off by raising his hand to stop him.

"Leave this to us." He told the master of earth.

Cole frowned but nodded, watching as both Lloyd and Kai trailed after him. Right. He hardly had much say in this situation, did he? After all, he's only human. Sure Nya was too but at least she had her smarts to help. All he had was… Brawn. He shook his head. It wouldn't do well to think like this. He should go do… Something.

____

"You know we won't care if you end up as a full serpentine, right?" Kai says as both he and Lloyd stood on opposite sides of him. "I won't lie, a few things would have to change but only to help you out. Like ac to make sure you don't overheat or get too cold. But you'll still be our Jay." He says, ruffling the brunette's hair.

"Of coursse you won't. I wass ssscared at firsst about how you guys would react but considering half of uss- well, more than half now, aren't exactly human, I'm sssure you guyss would be fine with it." Jay says with a small smile, drawing patterns on the deck railings.

"Then what has you do afraid? Is it what everyone else would think? Your parents?-"

"You forget. My parentss were once half sssnake themssselvess. Of coursse they wouldn't care. We don't ssstick around long enough in Ninjago to hear what people sssay behind our backss either. Knowing them, they alwayss have sssomething bad to sssay about uss, no matter how many timess we've sssaved their lives…" Jay hummed, resting his cheek in his palm.

"Then what is bothering you? What's keeping you like this?" Lloyd asked with a frown, confused now more than ever.

If it wasn't fear of what anyone would think, what else could it be?

"I'd think it would be obviouss by now." Jay says lightly, glancing at Lloyd through the corner of his slitted eyes. "I've never been one to take big changess like thiss very well, have I?" He hummed then glanced out at the thick forestry around them.

"It's one thing to temporarily become a sssnake. Permanently is another. I'm afraid my mentality isn't up to ssscratch quite yet. But it'll blow over, like it always doess. I'll calm down and start thinking rationally and get over it. Ssslowly but sssurely." The blue ninja hummed then his casual smile turned into a sharp smirk, immediately putting both Lloyd and Kai on edge. "Or, I'll ssstay like thiss alwayss. Who knowss? Only time will tell." He almost sung, using a short claw to carve a parted yin yang symbol into the wood of the railing, his smile returning.

Neither Kai or Lloyd knew how to address this. It seemed as if they were talking to a completely different person right now. 

"... How do you know that it won't work?" Kai found the voice to ask.

"Questionss are boring but I'll ansswer thiss one." Jay says then looked at his palm. "Call it sssuperstitiouss but I can feel it. Thiss sssubtle change doessn't hurt but it comess with a feeling of certainty. That there'ss no turning back. Only forward, further into the change." He says, turning over his hands.

His eyesight at night wasn't the best, human or serpentine but he knew that in better light, his skin had a barely noticeable change in colour. If he wasn't like this, he would be digging his claws into his skin. While the change didn't hurt, growling scales, especially this slowly wasn't exactly the best feeling. It itched something fierce. Jay smiled to himself. He could easily ignore something like this. Clearly he was superior but alas. He tilted his head to the sky, barely visible through the thick foliage. He didn't like to start trouble. Fighting was too much work.

Lloyd looked to Kai once his tail coiled around his wrist, tugging him gently to the inside. He followed, just as befuddled. Kai grabbed Cole by the hand along they way, ignoring his confused question of 'what's going on' them carried them all down to Wu's room. Wu glanced at them all confused from where he had just finished meditating before the spirit smoke.

"Something's wrong with Jay." Kai immediately blurted out.

"Well, yeah. That's why Nya and Zane-"

"He doesn't mean like that exactly." Lloyd says to clarify, cutting Cole off. "Jay's more than just spacy. Talking with him just now… It was as if we were talking to someone completely different." He whispered, thinking back to the sharp smirk that turned Jay's face something akin to wicked before.

"I don't think he's been possessed. Do you think it could be the venom changing him like this?" Kai asked and Lloyd immediately stiffened.

"T-that can't be, right?" Lloyd whispered, immediately thinking of how the Great Devourer's venom changed his father. "It was a normal serpentine. It can't do something like that… Right?..." He asked, looking to his uncle as the black dragon adorning his neck like a necklace lifted it's head, feeling the tenseness of his body.

It gave a curious yet concerned coo, lifting his upper half so he could nuzzle Lloyd's face.

"No. No matter how ancient the serpentine's remains were, they would not have that effect on a person. No spirit can board the Bounty either, whether it's possessing a person or not." Wu told them, stroking his beard in thought. "Kai, while you were talking with him, did you have any strange physical sensations? Did your scales or hair stand on end?" He asked and Kai blinked at him confused by the question.

"No. Not at all." The half dragon answered, the tip of his tail flicking back and forth with his unease.

"Then the change in him isn't supernatural." Wu says looking up to them. "For now, I recommend keeping a close eye on him. What is happening inside Jay's psyche is a journey only he can endure. And if it comes to it, one only he can fight." He says as he put out his spirit smoke.

______

"We're back!" Zane announced after he and Nya climbed up on the deck.

"You two make good time." Cole praised as they rushed by, coming to a stop to Zane's small makeshift lab.

"How is he?" Nya asked as she started in the antivenom.

"A little off from what I've heard from Lloyd and Kai but he doesn't seem any different from the loopy Jay I remember." Cole admits as he watched them work, leaning against the nearest surface.

"Off? How so?" Zane asked curiously. 

"I'm not sure. I wasn't there when Kai and Lloyd were talking. It's best you ask them or talk to Jay to see for yourself." Cole told him and Zane considered.

"Nya, are you fine making the antivenom on your own?" Zane asked him.

"I've done this plenty. Don't worry." She reassured and Zane nodded at her.

"They're in our room since Jay started to feel cold." Cole told Zane before he could ask.

He nodded then took off.

"Wanna talk about it?" Nya asked as she poured some of the venom out into a beaker.

"Am I really that obvious?" Cole winced, rubbing the back of his head.

He sighed. He might as well talk with her. She's the only one who'd understand at this point.

"Not obvious. I just think we're having similar thoughts." Nya shrugged and Cole frowned at her.

Nya too?...

Meanwhile, Zane headed to their room to find Jay fast asleep, wrapped up cozily under Kai's wing. Their beds weren't exactly big so it was a tight fit as he could see.

"Zane. You're back." Lloyd says as he perked up.

"Yes. I've heard that Jay's been acting differently. Do you mind explaining what happened to me?" He asked as he sat next to Lloyd on his bed across from Kai's.

"Yeah. So Kai and I went out to talk to Jay…" Lloyd began to speak, telling the story with Kai pitching in on a few parts.

"I see…" Zane says once they were done, thinking over what could be the source of Jay's abnormal behaviour but there were too many variables. "It's best we do as Sensei says for now. I'll keep an eye on him from here on out." He told them.

"Easier said than done." Kai says dryly, attempting to shift his wing but then Jay clamped down on the second finger of his wing, his small but sharp claws digging into the scale covered skin as he hissed.

Kai winced at the sharp pricks felt from his sensitive wing then relaxed it, Jay following suit and relaxing too, loosening his grip as he fell back into peaceful sleep.

"He's pretty intent on using me as a warmer." Kai found himself chuckling. "Not that I mind. Looks like it's a joint duty." He shrugged and Zane gave a soft huff of amusement.

"To be fair, you've always been a heater before but the wings spread warmth all around. They're pretty cozy." Lloyd shrugged, remembering the times he'd sleep on the ground since his bed was too small to hold his shifted form.

Kai would always curl up around him and cover him with a wing or two, used to sleeping on the ground himself, half because of the same reason. Kai huffed at his reasoning but said nothing, shifting on the tiny bed carefully so his other folded wing could have a little more room.

"It's done." Nya says as she walked in, holding the antivenom she kept in a beaker in hand.

"Time to take your medicine Jay. Up and at 'em." Kai says, nudging the freckled boy and he whined a bit but opened his eyes.

Kai took the chance to pull his wing back as Jay looked around the room. His eyes widened as he spotted the antivenom in Nya's hands and he shot up.

"Gimme!" He yelled, snatching it out of her hand, holding it in his trembling ones as he looked down at it. "I hope thiss workss." Jay says to himself as a sort of prayer then drank it down, scowling at the taste but kept drinking.

"Looks like our Jay's back." Lloyd says quietly next to Zane who nods once in acknowledgement.

Jay pulled the empty beaker away from his mouth, sticking out his split tongue in disgust at the taste.

"Well?" Jay asked, looking himself over a bit to see if anything changed.

Or more precisely, disappeared. He reached up, touching his fangs then looking at his claws before slumping.

"It didn't wo-" Jay swayed then, the world blurring out as he lost his footing.

"Jay!" They all yelled over the shattering noise of the dropped beaker as Nya reached out to catch him.

She slowly lowered him down to the ground, away from the broken glass.

"What's happening?! Is it working?!" Cole asked as he rushed in, gloves still on from where he was putting the leftover venom away.

"No." Zane says from his place checking Jay on the ground where everyone was crouched around him, blocking his view of his friend. "I think we've only sped up the process." He whispered, looking down at Jay's light dark sea green coloured face, his fangs pushing part his lips as his fully lengthed tail lay limp between Nya and Lloyd.

He had two straight, dark blue horns protruding from the top of his head and it appears his entire body was covered in scales. Smooth scales that one had to look closer to see but scales nonetheless. Jay wasn't going to take this well when he wakes up but at the very least, he still kept most of his human features. Zane sighed softly then shifted, picking him up and immediately noticing the hard points along his back he could feel poking against him. He then carried him over to his bed and gently set him down, sliding his long tail with dual spikes down to the very tip in with him.

"... Did take it wrong? I'm sure I didn't but…" Nya whispered and Zane shook his head.

"I highly doubt that was the case. The venom inside Jay was too far gone to be treated and when introduced to the antivenom that still had and needed trace amounts of venom to cure it, it seemed to have manipulated the antivenom into fuel and used it as a means to complete the transformation." Zane theorised then sighed. "This was a side effect I didn't see coming but it was worth the risk even if I had. We had to at least try." Zane says then pulled the sheets up over him.

"Now we know the answers for sure. All that's left for us to do is to adapt." He told them as he turned around.

"... I'll go get the heating blanket." Nya says quietly then headed out.

Kai got up, shifting to normal as he followed after her.

"Right. I guess I should hurry and put the rest of this stuff away and let Sensei Wu know." Cole says quietly, heading out again.

"I'll clean up the glass in the meantime." Zane spoke and Lloyd stood up, looking at where Jay laid passed out.

Lloyd knew that he would freak out and turn into that Jay again. It wasn't that Lloyd didn't like the other side of Jay. It's just that this was so new to him and he gives off such a completely different vibe. It's… Off-putting to say the least. Lloyd headed over to his bed, a small smile tugging at his lips as the small black dragon rubbed his head against him with a quiet purr. He took him from around his neck, allowing him to coil tight around his hand, his claws only slightly pricking into his skin.

They had two mysteries to unfold: the truth about Jay's psyche and the mystery behind this little guy. Tomorrow he'll see if he can talk to the dragon version of his uncle to hear what he had wanted to say about him. He was right about one thing after all. He stroked the top of the dragon's head, between his horns and smiled as he purred.

This dragon did have an air of familiarity around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man the burn is really slow here but I'll make sure things actually pick up in a chapter or two, dw.


	6. Chapter 6

Kai wasn't surprised that the dragons were long awake before he was. After all, it took some time to sleep after last night's events. So Jay was at least half serpentine now… Kai walked out on deck, taking a moment to take in the sound of several birds and insects chirping. It was familiar. Much like the dragon realm. To be surrounded by nature at its fullest… That woke Kai up even more, sending anticipation for a morning flight in. He shifts, the transition painless and quick, the holes in the back of his gi coming in handy when his wings and tail came forth. He dropped down to all fours, giving himself a shake then stretching his wings.

"Going out for a flight?" Kai looked back at Lloyd as he came out, Zane trailing behind him.

"Yeah. It'll be quick. I wanna be back before Jay wakes up." Kai told him as he turned around, his claws tapping on the deck as he did.

"I was planning on checking in on the dragons too. I hear they're pretty busy." Lloyd says as he walked over, shifting mid step and going down to all fours. "That and I wanna talk to their Wu about this little guy." He added and the dragon still coiled around his neck blinked at Kai with red slitted eyes.

"Go for it. Maybe you can figure out a name for him too. Unless you named him little guy that is." Kai teased as he nuzzled Lloyd while both he and Zane chuckled.

"Course not. Maybe when I figure out more about him, I can pick a good one." Lloyd says and Kai nodded.

"Both of you be careful." Zane called when they moved to leave.

"We will mom." Lloyd says teasingly then started off running, hopping over the edge of the Bounty and darting into the forest, towards where the dragons were.

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him." Kai says as he turned away then hopped up on the railing.

He jumped off too, wings catching him mid jump and he flapped them so he could go higher, looking down at the forest below with keen eyes. He could spot the quickly moving green and black shadow that was Lloyd, saw him slow down to a trot then stop before the gathering of dragons. Kai was intrigued. What were they planning on doing?

Lloyd looked on in awe at the gathering of dragons, all standing or flying in a semicircular position around where both elder dragons were. He weaved his way through them to the front where the elder dragons and the dragon version of his team were discussing something.

'What's going on here?' Lloyd asked as he pushed himself up to his hind legs mid step.

They turned to him and his dragon self perked up.

'That's it! Maybe Lloyd and his friends could help us!' The green dragon chirped, lowering his head to nuzzle Lloyd in greeting.

'Help you guys with what?' Lloyd asked around a purr, nuzzling his dragon self back.

'Creating.' Blaze answered and Lloyd blinked, wondering if they meant what he think they meant. 'We haven't started on an actual place for us to stay because it's going to be bigger than what we're used to. Like. Massive.' He began to explain.

'It needs to be a fortress, able to comfortably hold every dragon here. We will have to cut into the forest a bit more to hold it. I was thinking it's best to build up, not out. A tower if you will and a very tall one at that.' Zane, the snow white dragon explained, reaching a paw out for him to climb on.

'In order to do that, we need to combine our powers. We call it-'

'The Tornado of Creation?' Lloyd asked, interrupting the blue and maroon dragon that was Nya.

She blinked at him.

"We call it the Vortex of Creation…' She says surprised.

'You humans can do it too?' The blue dragon that was Jay asked, tilting his head to the side.

'Yeah. It's gotten us out of some sticky situations. It's how we defeated our version of the Oni.' Lloyd told them and they looked at him confused for a second then remembered that creation destroys destruction, not destruction itself. 'But how? You guys don't know Spinjitzu, do you?' He asked, curiously.

'We know Cyjitzu. I'm taking it that it will be familiar to your… Spinjitzu.' The black dragon that was Cole told him.

'What's going on here?' They all looked up once Kai swooped in.

'Kai!' The green dragon called eagerly, flying up to meet him.

'Heya Lloyd.' Kai greets, nuzzling the young dragon with a happy purr.

'I'm confused. Why do you need our power too? Shouldn't your powers alone combined be enough?' The Oni that was Lloyd asked, sitting in Zane's paw.

'It usually is. But for one, we're in a foreign world with different laws than ours, two, our Vortex of Creation needs to be bigger and stronger than normal to make something of that size and three, we alone would surely run out of energy to do it.' Zane explained while Lloyd's dragon self told Kai what's going on.

'Wait, your Tor- your Vortex of Creation takes energy?' Kai asked, bewildered.

'Yes. And lots of it. Yours does not?' Wu asked them, lowering his head to them.

'Not at all. It's just, the bigger it is, the more careful we have to be when stopping. It's pretty powerful and we're pretty light. It'll toss us around. We almost lost our Lloyd last time.' Kai says, voice going quiet at the end, remembering the Oni's defeat.

'Then we will support you.' Garmadon spoke and Kai blinked once a large black claw tilted his chin up. 'No harm will come to any of you.' He promised and Kai smiled, holding onto it and nuzzling it with a louder purr, his tail flicking side to side from his place hovering mid air.

'We'll head back and get the others, though…' Lloyd says, thinking back to Jay. 'It might take a bit of time for our Jay. He completed the transformation last night so he might wake up in shock.' He told the elders who nodded once.

'We will be patient.' Wu told him as Garmadon stroked the Oni's cheek with the back of his paw and Lloyd couldn't stop himself from purring, leaning into it eagerly.

Garmadon's heart swelled at his adoptive sons. Coming to this world not only meant survival, but the chance to interact with all of his sons in one place. It was exhilarating.

'Speaking of, we should get back before he wakes up.' Kai says, letting Garmadon's claw go- though albeit a little reluctantly.

'I'll come with you.' Dragon Lloyd says, purring as his father brushed his snout too.

'Me too. Maybe I can help out with making him feel better.' Jay spoke up and Wu nodded his approval.

'Go my sons. We will wait for your return.' Garmadon told both Lloyd's and Kai who nodded at him.

Lloyd extended his tail mid air to his Oni self, allowing him to climb out of Zane's paw onto his back.

They took off then, back to the Bounty parked at a respectable distance from the dragon's new lair.

'Wait.' Kai spoke up suddenly.

'What?' Everyone else asked curiously.

'... Technically... We're new SoGs.' Kai says, confusing everyone but the Oni.

Lloyd grimaced then paused. He then looked across at Kai with a grin.

'I guess we are. We'll purify the name. You'll see.' Lloyd says and Kai grinned back.

'I'm lost.' Jay spoke up and the green dragon nodded.

'We'll explain later.' Kai promised as they came in to land at the Bounty.

Lloyd hopped off before they landed and Kai caught him mid air, lowering him down.

'Wait for us here.' Lloyd told the dragons as he took his human form with Kai.

'Kay.' Lloyd called after the smaller beings, watching them go into their ship.

"You're back." Cole greeted as he came in their room where even Sensei Wu was.

Kai nodded and look to where Jay was seated, staring at his clawed hands in blank horror.

"Jay-"

"Don't." Jay spoke, cutting Kai off.

Kai frowned at that.

"We're only trying to make you realise-"

"Realisse what?!" Jay snapped at him glaring up at him through slitted blue eyes as he stood up, tail swishing angrily as electricity arched along his horns and spikes. "That everything'ss fine?! That being a freak issn't asss bad as it ssseemss?! That none of you care to think that I don't give a crap about what you think about me and that this hass nothing to do with any of you?! That your opinionss don't matter half asss much asss y-"

Jay's increasingly angry rant stopped suddenly and his eyes went blank, putting everyone more on edge than his rant did. The light in his eyes reappeared but it was different. Jay's tense body relaxed as he huffed.

"Fighting'ss too much trouble but you're only digging yoursself into a deep ditch here." Jay huffed to himself then blinked up at everyone else in the room. "Oh hey. Iss there any food around? I'm ssstarving." He says, picking up the blanket and wrapping it around his shoulders.

Everyone had a case of whiplash from the sudden change in Jay. Zane stepped forwards with a frown.

"What's your name?" He asked Jay, confusing everyone else as Jay smiled a smile at him that was almost a fully blown smirk.

"What do you mean? I'm Jay." Jay answered light-heartedly, his tail swishing side to side nonchalantly.

"You are. But you're also not, aren't you?" Zane asked and that smile turned into a smirk.

"I can really sssee why you're the sssmartesst of us all." Jay hummed, the flicking of the top of his tail combined with his fanged smirk made him look absolutely sinister and Zane glared at him.

"Zane, what's going on here." Wu asked as he held his Nin-jō defensively.

Zane glared at the smirking Jay for a moment longer, then turned away with a sigh.

"Multiple Personality Disorder." Was all Zane says as his explanation and Jay stuck his slitted tongue out at them from behind Zane, a goofy smile on his face.

The rest of the team blinked at him.

"He's still Jay, just a subconscious version of himself he hides behind due to high levels of stress. At the very least, he doesn't seem hostile so we won't have anything to worry about. The condition will either solve itself once Jay learns better ways of coping with stress or it may be permanent. I may be a lot of things but a psychiatrist isn't one of them. I'm only speculating at this point." Zane says as he crossed his arms.

"That'ss a little harssh." Jay says with a pout then smiled widely. "Have I really lost the right to be referred to asss a perssslon, sssolely becausse I am apart of a person? Or is it becausse you all sssee me asss nothing more than a parassite infecting your friend?" He questions but didn't wait for them to answer, dropping the blanket then headed towards the door.

"Hold it." Cole says, blocking his way.

"Ssso you intend to let uss ssstarve? You do realisse we share this body, right?" Jay asked, tilting his head to the side, smile still in place. "I don't mind if we die at all. It's lesss troublessome that way. But I'm sssure you all do." He hummed and Cole stiffened.

"Let him go Cole." Lloyd spoke up and Cole looked at him surprised but frowned and step aside.

Jay only smiled wider at Cole then walked by, using the underside of the tip of his tail to stroke his cheek along the way.

"... Now what do we do?" Nya asked, looking around at everyone.

"Psychological help seems best." Zane suggested.

"Something tells me he won't be too keen to head back to New Ninjago City." Kai says, crossing his arms. "We'll have to be positive he won't end up accidentally hurting anyone. When he got fired up before, his lightning activated on its own. My hair's still on end." He says and they paused to consider.

"Kai is correct. While I do not favour keeping Jay away from possible help, it won't help him if we allowed him to return to society without knowing his capabilities." Wu spoke up and they all nodded their agreement.

Meanwhile, Jay found his breakfast set and ready for him. His tongue flickered out to taste the air as he lifted the cover. Smells amazing as always. He took the plate of pancakes, eggs, hash browns and bacon outside, not at all surprised by the two dragons there.

'Jay?' The Green one, Lloyd the '_true Jay_' supplied, irritable still.

"Well isn't that confussing. Two Lloydss? But then again, thinking up a new name iss pretty troublessome." He hummed then paused to consider the dragons watching him confused, not understanding what he was saying. "We're ssserpentine now. I wonder if talking with them will still work…" Jay cleared his throat.

'It's me. Don't worry. I'm fine.' He told them with a brighter smile then cut himself a piece of pancake.

'Are you?' The dragon version of them questioned critically and Jay grinned.

Of course he would know better than to believe them easily.

'Well, I am. Other Jay? Not so much.' Jay told them lightly.

'Other Jay?' Lloyd asked, confused.

'Don't worry about it.' The blue dragon told green, a glint of understanding in his eyes. 'How about we take a flight later on?' He suggested and Jay wasn't about to turn that opportunity down.

He hadn't had the chance to experience it firsthand. He knew however that his dragon self intended to try and reach out to 'the true Jay'. Before he could voice his approval, the others came out.

"Jay." The Oni Lloyd called out and he glanced over his shoulder at him. "Can you do Spinjitzu still?" He asked.

"Yeah. What of it?" Jay asked him, curiously.

"We need your help with something." Was all Kai told him.

Jay smiled widely.

"Of coursse. What do you need me to do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada! Another update to make uo for missing one. I think. I'm bad at time. Slowly but surely getting things done!


	7. Chapter 7

Jay looked around the massive forest as he tagged along with the ninja, walking in the middle of the group with their Sensei trailing behind and dragons ahead. He's seen it all before but these eyes of his are sharper. They have an almost zoom like quality. He could see a lizard perched on a tree almost 30 feet away between several trees. He could see it's slightly cooler body temperature too and after a quick taste of the air, could easily determine that it was healthy, looking for a mate. Amazing. 

_ 'Not amazing. A disaster! A huge freaking disaster!' _

Jay opted to ignore the 'true Jay's' distress. It was pointless to panic over something that was inevitable and had come to pass already. At this point, there was nothing to be done. It's like the fear of losing the ones you've come to treasure and the fear of death itself. There's nothing to do but accept it and move forward. The 'true' version of himself was childish in that sense. Always throwing tantrums when things get tough. Considering their line of action-

_ 'I am  _ _ not _ _ childish and I do  _ _ not _ _ throw tantrums!  _ _ You _ _ don't have any say here! You're not even an actual person you-' _

**'Go to sleep already. This situation is troublesome as is right now without your whining. You can take over again when you've grown some balls. You're a real pain, you know that, right?'**

The ninja are already keeping him under a tight watch as is and it's suffocating as is. Anymore of his emotional blabber and-

_ ' _ _ You _ _ don't get to tell me anything! You-' _

**'God you're annoying.'**

Jay pushed down the urge to rub his temples in irritation. Despite the inability to truly raise his voice, his shrill tone was grating at him and he was sure to develop a headache if he let him continue like this.

**'Look. Usually I don't care if you want to trash your friends to make yourself feel better or whatever. If you want to be hated then I don't care. But what I do care about is the fact that I'll be trapped in here with your irritatingly depressive self. You're absolutely annoying as is and I'd rather be dissolved back into your subconsciousness for good than to live the rest of my time like that. You're a coward and weak in every sense of the words. My existence is proof of that. If I wanted, I could have absorbed you ages ago. You aren't much of a challenge after all. But frankly, that's too much trouble. So here's what's going to happen. I'm giving you a whole week to come to your senses and to make a decision on what you want to do from here. During that whole week, I'll be in control and you'll sleep.'**

_ 'W-' _

' **Starting now.** '

It didn't take much effort to suppress the 'true' side of him. Jay closed his eyes for a bit, relying on his new senses to prevent him from walking into anything. Finally. Silence. Peace. He relaxed. Emotions like anger and irritation were troublesome but the 'true' side of him brought out the worst in him. Here's to hoping that after this week, he'd be reabsorbed. There's no greater trouble than existing after all. Especially with these people he calls friends. 

"... Jay- er… Whoever you are..." He cocked his head towards Cole then opened his eyes to look at him. "You alright? You've been spacing out for a bit." Cole says with concerned and Jay's default smile grew wider.

"I'm fine. Thiss place iss beautiful. Far better than the wasstelandss of the Firsst Realm." Jay says as he focused on the path ahead, realising that the dragons were just up ahead waiting for them. "Iss it finally time to know why I wass brought here?" He asked, looking to Kai and Lloyd's backs.

"Yeah." Kai says, looking over his shoulder at Jay and his almost innocent smile. "We're going to be helping the dragons build a proper home." He says as they came to a stop before the smaller group of dragons waiting for them.

"Oh? And how can I help? We might be many thingss but ssstrong issn't one of them." Jay pointed out, tail swishing from side to side idly to compensate for his inability to rock on his heels.

Not with his feet as they are. They weren't fully human. They were on the reptilian side and had an additional clawed toe at the back of his more narrow heel. They were great for keeping him clinging to rough surfaces but not for rocking on.

"Jay's body is stronger than you think." Kai says but Jay knows that's blind hope. "We don't need physical strength for this anyway. We're going to do the Tornado of Creation with the dragons." He told him and Jay was intrigued.

Well. Why not? After all, he was already here…

'Let's get this done quick so we can fix any mistakes that we may make before the sun sets again.' Zane spoke up, the large white and blue dragon walking towards the middle of the space they cleared for their project.

The group shared a look then followed, all of them curious about what their combined strength would amount to.

'I will instruct you all.' Garmadon spoke up, gaining all 12 of their attention.

Lloyd blinked when he felt a shift in his clothes then gasped ince he remembered that the black dragon was still with him.

'Wait!' Lloyd called out then drop to all four mid shift and sprinted over to his uncle. 'Could you watch him for me? I don't want him to get hurt.' He says, plucking the reluctant dragon off of him.

"Certainly." Wu agreed with a nod, allowing the dragon to coil around his hand.

"I'll only take just a minute or two. Be good ok? I'll be right back." Lloyd says to the uneasy dragon before running off back to the others.

'Alright. Everyone. Take your positions.' Garmadon spoke up, watching keenly as the six dragons took to the sky.

The ninja all turned to each other in a circle format looking determined- all except Jay that is. He was just smiling in a carefree way.

'Begin!' Garmadon commands and both Cole's took the lead, spinning above and below.

The Zane's followed after, then Kai and Blaze, then both Nya's and Lloyd's. Jay watched them spin, engulfed in their elemental tornadoes. They were really pretty to look at. He didn't waste anymore time, engulfing himself in his tornado of lightning and drifted inwards towards the others as Garmadon instructed. Finally, they all collided- or rather, merged. The dragons, Sensei Wu watched in awe as his students' tornado of Creation stretched up to meet the dragons' that stretched down. When both of them merged, it was like nothing any of them had ever seen. Never before had a Tornado of Creation been so massive, stretching to what seems to be beyond the very sky itself. The light it radiated was kaleidoscopic, despite the pure white of the vortex itself. It's pull had to be on a completely different scale since it was able to rip whole trees from the ground, massive boulders too.

Yet still… None of the dragons and human witnessing this felt a single pull, despite their almost dangerously close proximity. They could only watch as it twisted and swirled, hearing the high almost chiming sound barely audible over the roaring of its sucking winds. It felt as if they were watching this conical miracle for hours but it was only a few seconds before it began to wan, a tall shadow becoming more and more visible the weaker the vortex got. Finally, the vortex fades completely, leaving a tall and massive tower made of stone and plants behind. It had several openings on each level, all holding what appeared to be small balconies, most likely to be used as a sort of landing platform for the dragons.

Water ran down their sides of the cylindrical structure, in tall waterfalls that filled the channel on the ground around the structure, creating a sort of moat. No doubt in their mind that this place, this new home could house them all and more. Indeed it would be relatively easy to spot- but Hiroshi's Labyrinth was by no means a small jungle. One would have to enter the forest to a certain point to see it in the distance but fortunately, the forest is traversed by none, the people of Ninjago all too fearful they met never leave once they entered. The six dragons took a lap around the structure before coming in for a landing, their bodies not at all tired for the first time while using the Vortex of Creation. They landed lightly, looking around for their human counterparts. Said counterparts were staying up at the massive structure with awe, amazed that they helped make something so grand, so breathtaking.

'Are you guys ok?' The green dragon that was Lloyd asked as he bounded over and they all turned to him.

'Yeah! We're alright.' Nya answered with a smile, glad they were able to stay on their feet this time.

'Though, did we pull in some poison ivy? My skin is starting to itch…' Cole says, scratching at his reddening cheeks.

'Poison ivy?!' Lloyd asked with horror, bristling with panic as the other dragons rushed over.

'Quickly. Are you feeling sick in anyway? Nauseous?' Zane, the white and blue dragon asked as both Wu's and Garmadon joined them, the red eyed dragon looking at them fearfully, wondering if they made the wrong choice.

If they would succumb from poisoning because of a decision he approved.

'No, poison ivy isn't deadly like that. Just makes your skin itch something fierce.' Kai told them as he rubbed his stomach that felt itchy.

But this doesn't seem right. He was clothed. No way he could have poison ivy here. It was only getting worse!

'Something's not right.'

"Something's not right." Both Wu's spoke at the same time, seeing all but Jay starting to scratch now.

"Impossible. I'm a Nindroid. I don't get itches but… I feel strange…" Zane says, rubbing at his face as his body felt off. "My… My exoskeleton… It's altering…" His body stats showing in the corner of his vision were giving him unusual readings.

'Wu.' Garmadon says, looking to his white and gold brother with fear and worry.

'I need to know more. I cannot-'

"It… Hurts…!" Kai got out before he collapsed on both hands and knees, teeth gritted in pain.

'Kai!' Both Garmadon and Lloyd roared in distress.

The others collapsed in quick succession all but writhing in pain, Zane's glowing blue eyes flickering as the Nindroid struggled to keep consciousness against this unknown agony. All except for Jay who stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"I wonder how many more mutationss musst thiss body endure before faith iss sssatissfied…" Jay spoke lightly, despite the intense pain he chose to ignore and Wu's eyes widened as he barely managed to hold back the frantic black dragon in hand.

"Mutation?" He whispered to himself, thinking he has an idea of what was to happen next...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's shorter than usual but I'm happy I was able to write it! I'll try for a longer chapter next time!


	8. Chapter 8

It started with Kai, the red ninja writing on the ground as he was forced to take his half dragon form, the pain shooting through his body had him seeing stars. It was as if his insides, bones and all wanted to rip itself out of his body. He dug his claws into the grassy earth, thrashing his head side to side as he squeezed his eyes shut.

The dragons, Wu could only stand and watch in horror as Kai's body began to morph and shift, his frame growling larger and larger. Lloyd was also forced to shift to his Oni appearance, a quiet but pained cry being pulled from him once black wings spotted with green scales all but erupted from his back, a tail following immediately after. Another smaller set of horns jutted out just before his primary horns and Lloyd wobbled, collapsing immediately after, out cold. 

The others weren't fairing much better. Scales of corresponding colours bloomed across their faces as their hands became clawed and bigger, forming half paws. Horns in various shapes and colours erupted from their heads as horned wings laid slumped tiredly against their backs, trembling with the exertion it took to spontaneously grow them. Their tails laid limp as they also succumbed to unconsciousness, sweat and blood in some parts coating their bodies. The small black dragon finally squirmed free from Wu’s hands, dashing over as quick as lightning to where the unconscious Lloyd is, nudging him as he released chirps of distress.

Sensei Wu followed after the dragon, checking on his closest student, Nya. She was breathing. Exhausted it seems but alive. He went around checking them each, even Jay from where he stood, appearing perfectly alright, despite the odd blue coloured blood that trickled from his hair from where his horns and spikes had grown taller and thicker. Garmadon watched in silence, his heart clenching at the pitiful light of the ninja,  _ his sons _ , laying so still, so quiet. He could hear their hearts beating, hear their stabilizing breaths, knew they were alive but… What if they hadn’t lived through it? What if he had killed them with his decision? The dragon clenched his teeth then walked forward slowly, approaching Kai where he laid still in this new form, Lloyd laying not too far away. He sat on his haunches then lowered his paws, gently picking the red dragon up, careful of his lolling head. His true son walked over quietly as he did, looking at his older brother with worry.

‘... Dad?’ Lloyd says quietly to his father who was looking at Kai with a heart broken expression from where he held him close, his wings instinctively coming around to protect.

‘... I never considered this. If I had… If I hadn’t been so quick to agree-’

‘This isn’t your fault dad. If you knew this would happen, you wouldn’t have let them help.’ Lloyd told his father quietly then nuzzled his side. ‘Kai knows that too. He’ll forgive us. I know he will.’ He purred, nuzzling him more once a large black wing wrapped around him.

‘Lloyd is right brother.’ Wu says as he came up to his other side, headbutting his brother affectionately before settling next to him, draping an opened wing against his back.

‘... But how did this happen? From what Kai told us, it’s being in our world for too long causes this shift. Even if this was bound to happen, shouldn’t this have been slower?’ Garmadon questioned then began lapping at the blood at Kai’s temple that glistened from his red scales, grooming his unconscious son, still cradling him close to him.

‘... Their Zane had explained to me before that their powers being held with that of the smoke and ash dragons for that short period of time had given the ability to speak like us.’ Zane spoke up, walking forward with white wings tucked close, sharp, slitted blue eyes looking them over before he turned to the larger of his two leaders and mentors. ‘If we take that in mind, the most likely explanation would be that the exposure to our raw power that is still not of this world triggered the sudden change. That and we are they but from a different world. That may also play a crucial part. I don’t think it’s just the location that triggers these… Mutation. But our presence as well. Our very aura. But that part is just an hypothesis.’ He told Garmadon who frowned.

“For now, they need to rest and recuperate.” Wu says as he turned away from Jay who was curiously flexing his new wings, the inner side holding a lighter blue than the outside.

His scales remained the same, even on these dragonic wings. Smooth and even. Jay’s change seemed to be the most minor but Wu knew it took energy still that despite the ever present smile this Jay wore, his body was fatigued and most likely pained still.

‘Right.’ Wu says as he got to his feet again. ‘Take them to the top of the tower. We’ll watch over them until they’ve awoken. Be careful. They are delicate.’ He warned the dragon ninja as they approached to play their part. All but Blaze that is.

He stood in the background, watching as they picked up their respective ninja then flew off, Wu taking his human self and carrying him there as well. Lastly was Garmadon himself, carrying the human- well. Formerly human. He was a full dragon now. Blaze found it difficult to be as happy about it as he wanted to be. After all… If Kai, amazing, brave, thoughtful Kai was a full dragon now… He remained standing there as the rest of his kin also flocked to the tower, settling in as clouds gathered on the horizon. Blaze’s wings and tail drooped as he lowered his head. If Kai was a full dragon now… What was he needed for anymore? Thunder rumbled overhead, as the rain moved in closer off the sea not too far away. He didn’t have a space, a purpose here, with them anymore… Did he?

__________

Garmadon was forced to keep his distance from the Oni he had come to call his son as he was looked after by his uncle. The small black dragon would hiss and attempt to attack him if he did. He was very fond of Lloyd and clearly blamed him for what happened. Garmadon agreed with his assessment and give the small creature of his kin the space he desired. At least he was trusted enough to care for Kai. He peered into his large wings where Lloyd was napping, his head rested against Kai’s chest from where the new fully bred dragon rested, still yet to awaken after an entire day. Lloyd refused to leave his side, not even to eat.

A gust of wind caught his attention. He glanced out through the opened archway as Morro flew in, dropping a few fish he had caught. Unlike most dragons, Morro wasn’t adept to hunting large scale prey. Given the untouchable nature of this massive Labyrinth, the wild life here are on the larger side due to no human interruption. Though Garmadon doubted the humans could easily take on one, worse the thousands of different species here. Kai had taught Morro how to fish and it was a skill he utilized with pride. He may not be able to hunt large animals or catch small ones well enough through such thick trees but he does his best. He knew that Kai would be upset to hear that Lloyd nor Garmadon himself have been eating while he was unconscious. Imagine Morro’s surprise to wake up to this magnificent structure and such chaos. Apparently Kai was a dragon now, their Jay was a snake and they’ve all inherited an increase in dragonic genes.

Morro shook the rain water off himself then gathered his catch again. It’s been raining for a while. A common occurrence in this location it seems. He padded over to where Garmadon had settled, massive wings hiding both Kai and Lloyd completely. Morro’s eyes locked in on the tip of a green tail poking out from below. Well. Almost. He set down the catch before his uncle then looked up at him pointedly. Garmadon made no move to protest like the first time, knowing Morro was stubborn and he had worked hard. The least he could do was eat it. He took a large fish in his maw, throwing it back and swallowing it down.

‘Another.’ Morro orders, nudging another towards him, knowing that this was nothing but a snack for the elder dragon.

Garmadon gave a slight huff but took it, swallowing it down too. Satisfied now, he left the other two for Lloyd when he wakes, walking closer to his uncle to nudge Lloyd’s tail back under his wing.

Morro was worried about Kai too. He’s heard from the others that the other ninja have all stirred at least once briefly but Kai hadn’t so much as twitched. Morro lifted his head a bit and stared at Garmadon’s massive wing. Kai was strong and bright. He can handle it. He was alive, wasn’t he? All he had to do now is to wake up… Wake up Kai… Morro blinked hopefully once Garmadon’s wings shifted but he deflated once he spotted Kai inside still unconscious with Lloyd asleep against him.

‘Come.’ Garmadon spoke and Morro’s eyes widened, ‘You’ve worked hard and I am eternally grateful to you. But you shouldn't yet be doing something has taxing as hunting. Come. Rest with them.’ He rumbled quietly and Morro stood there, frozen in shock.

He never expected this. To be invited into their leader’s wings as if he was one of his offspring… Morro swallowed. He wanted to. Wanted to stick close to Kai and Lloyd too but… He glanced up at Garmadon who was patiently waiting. Was he serious? Could he really? He took a hesitant step forward, then another… And another… He stared at Kai and Lloyd, already finding a perfect spot to Kai’s left, against Garmadon’s wing. He took another gulp then climbed in nervously, resting against Kai’s shoulder, noting immediately that even Kai was larger than him. Larger than Lloyd too. He looked up once Garmadon’s wings closed around them, shielding them from the light of day. His glowing green eyes looked around for a while, nervously then-

_ Warmth, dark, purrs _ .

What’s- 

_ ‘Da... Warm...’ A sleepy Lloyd told a young Morro from their place nestled in the massive wings. _

_ Morro only watched as the tiny hatchling drifted off, the warmth and soothing purrs from the large dragon lulling him to sleep too. _

Low purrs rumbled in Morro’s chest as Garmadon’s deep purrs casted a spell of sleep over him. His eyes lowered as his body relaxed.

Yeah… It’s warm...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop. Filler. But next chapter or chapter after, we should actually get back on track plot wise. I'm just,,, big sucker for fluff,,,,


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAA sorry for taking forever to update this!!!! But tada! Chappie!

_ Kai blinked as he looked around the vast white space all around him. Where… What is this? He startles when he looked to his left, seeing a vast space of stars, slowly spiraling galaxies and nebulae that certainly weren’t there a second ago. He looked for a moment then noticed the same on his right. A vast expanse of space that while, looked just as breathtaking as the left, it was organised differently. He glanced between them both then looked down at the strip of blankness between them. He startled once a ripple passed over both views then glanced both ways. His eyes widened once a bright light began building on both sides, getting brighter and brighter. He looked to the left as the light built still. His slitted eyes blew wide once the beams of light launched at him. _

His eyes opened suddenly, their lowly glowing irises widening with the darkness he woke to. He could see what looked like spines along the leathery cocoon he seemed to be in. Wings, his slowly waking mind provided. Dark ones. Kai’s nostrils flared as he took in the scents around him. Garmadon… Lloyd and… Morro… He glanced down, careful to not move his lower half once weight on the sides of his body came to him. Lloyd… Morro… Sleeping… But… Is it him or… Are they smaller than he remembers? His memory was so foggy. He had a feeling something important happened that he should remember but it was all muddled. Jay transforming, dragons, Tornado of Creation… Then… Then?... A low grumble of frustration escaped him. That was more than enough to gain the attention of one Garmadon it appears since he slowly opened the cocoon of his wing, A large red eye peering in. Kai blinked up at him.

Even he seemed smaller somehow.

‘Kai!’ Garmadon spoke in relief and the dragons at his side began to stir awake.

‘Da?...’ Lloyd slurred, looking up at him then followed his father’s gaze to where he was looking just above his head.

Lloyd’s eyes blew wide in surprise as his tail began to thump rapidly against his father’s wing.

‘Kai! You’re awake!’ Lloyd chirped happily, squirming so he could roll over on his stomach, nuzzling his brother happily, Morro joining him.

‘It took you long enough!’ Morro complained though his relief was palpable.

Kai gave huffing chortles under their attention then paused. Why did he… He blinked, just noticing his nose before him. Or should he say snout? He stared, frozen in shock. What… He brought both hands up from where Lloyd and Morro had ceased their nuzzling, watching his reaction carefully as he looked at his clawed, scaly paws. It all rushed back to him. Itching then burning, white hot pain, his bones shifting suddenly, adding, removing, changing, metamorphosing so suddenly… But… He recalled how the others became able to talk like them and it made sense. They didn’t think of what would happen while being exposed to raw draconic powers as they had… He closed his paws. So he really was a full dragon now. Question is, could he shift back? He closed his eyes to focus and attempt- only for hi to grunt as a sharp flare of pain washed over all of him.

‘It is not wise to try anything so soon. You are still recovering from the sudden shift. You should rest.’ Garmadon told him quietly, lowering his snout into his wing so he could nuzzle him gently, Kai leaning into it without thought.

‘You were out for two days now. Dad’s right. You have to rest more.’ Lloyd told him quietly, gently nuzzling him too.

‘But-’

‘But nothing.’ Morro interrupted. ‘You’re always nagging me about taking care of myself now it’s my time. Go back to sleep. You aren’t going anywhere soon.’ He said sternly and Kai blinked at all three sets of determined eyes on him.

He huffed through his nose but relented.

‘Fine. But I have questions.’ Kai says with a not pout as Morro and Lloyd settled back into his sides.

‘Yeah, yeah. We’ll answer them in the morning.’ Morro huffed and Lloyd gave a chuckling snort.

Garmadon watched as they all settled into the safety of his wing again, hearing Lloyd’s quiet purrs start up as he slowly allowed himself to fall asleep again, Morro’s following shortly after. Kai unconsciously wrapped his wings around them both, being bigger than them both as he was. He watched them as they fell asleep again fondly… Before guilt and regret tugged at his heart.

‘I failed. I hadn’t kept my promise. I swore no harm would come to you all and yet…’ Garmadon murmured quietly as he looked around at the resting bodies in the dark of night, the only light coming from the sand pit where they lit a fire before, only embers left behind now. ‘Yet you all faced agony… Because of my carelessness. My lack of thinking.’ He rumbled low, his heart squeezing as he closed his eyes in the face of the raw guilt that consumed him.

‘S’ not your fault.’ Garmadon couldn’t stop the huff that escaped him at Kai’s slurred response from his wing. ‘Y’ didn’t know… F’ you did… Y’ wouldn’t let us do it… S’ not your fault. S’ ok…’ The new dragon got out, his body’s exhaustion catching up with him again.

‘... Rest Kai.’ Garmadon rumbled quietly, gently adjusting a tighter hold on them with his wing.

‘... K…’ Kai rumbled then nuzzled into his wing.

Garmadon sighed quietly then glanced out at the moonlit jungle through one of several entrances in their new home. He fears the weight, the consequences of this fault will always be on his conscience.

‘… Dad…’ Garmadon glanced down at his wing where his sons and nephew slept fondly, Kai’s sole word filling his heart with warmth and love.

The weight of his decisions may haunt him for the rest of his long life but he’ll use it as a lesson. For his son, for his kind, there’s no such thing as too careful. With that, the elder allowed his red eyes to slide shut, allowing the lure of sleep to take him for the first time since the incident.

____

‘Hey Kai.’ Kai grumbled then buried his face into the warm side of Garmadon. ‘Come on Kai, stop being such a couch.’

‘I think the correct word is grouch.’ Another voice rumbled and Kai whined, turning more into Garmadon’s side.

‘Five more minutes…’ He rumbled then nuzzled into Garmadon’s purring warmth.

‘I’ve got this.’ Another huffed and Kai had a moment of blissful sleep…

A sharp pain from his tail had Kai’s eyes flying open and he roared, scrambling away from the sharp teeth on his tail and out of Garmadon’s half opened wing.

‘What did yah do that for?!’ Kai hissed as he brought his tail close, inspecting the sensitive limb then shot a glare at his attacker- only for him to pause at the sight of both versions of his friends there, relief and happiness shining in their eyes.

He felt his heart squeeze at the sight of them then charged at them.

“Woah, woah woah!” Cole yelped, large, clumsy wings not aiding his escape out of the large dragon that was Kai’s path.

“Kai please remember we can’t take your weight like this!” Nya yelled at him, backing up quick but the large red dragon showed no signs of stopping.

Luckily, a large black head picked him up by the tail and Kai gave a surprised yelp, his paws and wings instinctively tucking close to himself from the strange position he was now in.

‘Do not hurt your friends when they have only just recovered.’ Gamadon rumbled from where he held Kai in a position dragons carry their hatchlings when they aren’t yet able to fly.

‘I wasn’t gonna dad, put me down!’ Kai rumbled, squirming now.

‘Nah. This position is better.’ Dragon Nya rumbled as she walked over, nuzzling Kai from his upside down position.

Kai huffed in laughter as he found himself being nuzzled at all angles. Garmadon set him down slowly amidst them all so his now half dragon friends could nuzzle him too- all but Jay and Lloyd that is.

Jay was busy with his new wings, moving them up and down, memorizing the muscles it took to do so, refining his control of them. He had wings and roughly 5 more days of existence. No way was he going to pass up the chance of flying before his last day. Lloyd on the other hand…

“Ow! Oh come on! You can’t keep doing this, just because you’re mad at him!” Lloyd finally snapped at the tiny dragon that was keeping out of his reach to bite him whenever he took a single step closer to the other version of his father. “Kai’s finally awake and you aren’t gonna stop me from seeing him, just because he’s with dad!” He growled, inky black wings with green horns flared wide with his irritation.

The small, red eyed dragon looked back at Lloyd with wide eyes from where it stopped scurrying just at the middle of his new tail. Said tail gave an angry whip, throwing the small creature off but luckily, Wu caught it with the white tip of his tail, lifting the small dragon to his human self. Lloyd took a moment to look shocked that he ended up tossing the dragon off but narrowed his red eyes in annoyance before bounding over to his much larger brother on all fours. He climbed him with ease and Kai perked up at the sight of him.

‘Lloyd! Look at you!’ Kai beamed at him, shifting off his back as he took Lloyd in paw.

‘Have you even seen yourself?’ Lloyd huffed and Kai gave a snort before leaning in and nuzzling him with his snout, not minding at all when Lloyd opted to climb onto it instead.

‘Don’t forget about us!’ Nya yelled up and he looked down at them then scooped them up, his tail sweeping the floor happily.

‘You too Zane?’ Kai rumbled, looking him over and Zane lifted a metallic wing then shrugged.

‘Indeed. Had I not already accepted that logic does not work the same with them, I would have had a malfunction.’ Zane admitted then gave them a flap. ‘I’m afraid we will need your help with figuring out the changes to our bodies.’ He told him and both his sister and Cole nodded their head in agreement.

‘The other guys have been helping us out with things but they have parts we don’t and we have parts they don’t and it’s running interference.’ Lloyd told him from atop his head then hopped off, using his wings to unsteadily glide towards Garmadon who was quick to extend a wing for him to land on. ‘But other Lloyd has been telling us you started off gliding and it’s sorta been working.’ He says as he waited for Garmadon to bring his wing closer to his snout before jumping across and nuzzling him with happy purrs.

He’s missed the large dragon. He hasn’t been able to get near him for days because of the smaller dragon that has taken such a big liking to him. He had to sit and watch him blame himself for what happened to them and he didn’t like that at all.

‘S’ not your fault Dad…’ Lloyd mumbled and Garmadon’s heart swelled.

He didn’t confirm nor deny but he did close his eyes, deep, rumbling purrs leaving the large dragon.

“I’ve noticed both you and Lloyd have taken to calling Garmadon ‘Dad’...” Zane pointed out and Kai felt fire in his face that allowed the space between his scales on his face to glow lowly.

‘What of it?’ Kai huffed defensively, setting them down then getting to all fours. ‘It’s the truth. He may not be my biological father but he’s been a father to me in more ways than one.’ He says as he walked towards the older dragon then nuzzled into his side, purring once he wrapped a wing around him.

‘He and both Lloyds are my family. There are lots of things thicker than blood. This is one of them.’ Kai purrs out and Nya frowned, not knowing what to make of that.

Kai opened his eyes then.

‘Speaking of, where is my dragon bro?’ Kai asked as he looked around, the only green dragon around being Morro who was retreating to his father’s side, a purr leaving him once a white and gold wing wrapped around him.

They all looked around, finding him nowhere in sight.

‘Lloyd…’ Garmadon whispered, flashes of years ago, waking up to a Lloyd free nest sending fear through him.

Kai picked up on that, amazed that his even more enhanced sense of smell could pick up emotions.

‘I’ll go look for him.’ Kai announced as he looked towards the closest exit.

‘You are in no condition to fly. Flying as a dragon is far more different from flying as a half dragon.’ Garmadon says as he got up, lowering his snout to Kai so Lloyd could slide off onto his. ‘I will go. Lloyd is far bigger than once. He should be easier to find.’ He says, spreading his large wings, the tips touching the high ceilings.

‘Maybe Blaze went to look for him too. He’s not here either.’ Dragon Cole says as he looked round.

‘Perhaps. I’ll return with them both.’ Garmadon says then headed to the closest exit. ‘You will rest and teach your friends what you can.’ He says, glancing back at Kai who deflated but gave a confirming grunt.

Garmadon nods once then took off, his wing beats loud and echoing. That alone should let Lloyd know his dad is looking for him. Kai laid down then before his friends, crossing his large paws.

‘Alright. Time for Sensei Kai to teach you half dragon 101.’ Kai purred, his tail flicking back and forth.

‘This should be interesting…’ The white and blue dragon that was Zane says as they also laid down, forming a semi circle around the half dragons.

Meanwhile, the human Wu looked down at the black dragon that remained silent as he curled up in his arms, clearly put out and hurt. He had such a familiar air to him. It was as if the answer to this dragon’s mystery was right under his nose. He glanced over at his dragon self. He could sense the truth behind this dragon but there was never a good moment to get an answer out of him. He looked back down at the somber dragon. Perhaps it’s time he find out this mystery himself… And perhaps… It’s time to unveil his greatest secret yet...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sake of making up for lost time, I'm just gonna keep writing and see how soon I can add another chapter. Thank you guys for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

‘Blaze.’ Lloyd says as he landed next to the large river that ran through the vast jungle, seeing Blaze sitting on its banks, looking into the water as it ran by, wings drooped.

‘What?’ Blaze gruffed, staring down at his reflection that looked exactly like Kai.

Yet another reason for him to be forgotten. Lloyd frowned at his tone but walked over to where he sat.

‘Is something wrong? You know you can talk to me- or any of us.’ Lloyd says softly, casting slitted green eyes at the fire dragon keeping his gaze on the water before him. 

‘Can I really?’ Blaze hissed bitterly and Lloyd’s eyes widened in surprise at that.

‘Of course! We’re your friends! We’re here for you!’ Lloyd told him firmly and Blaze sighed through his nose then got to his feet.

‘Go back Lloyd. Someone’s ought to be looking for you by now.’ Blaze grumbled, spreading his wings.

‘No!’ Lloyd declared, standing firm, not about to back down from this. ‘Did we do something to hurt you somehow? You have to talk to one of us at least so we know what’s wrong-’

‘I don’t have to do anything.’ Blaze growled, shooting Lloyd a glare, both of them ignoring the loud wing beats in the distance.

‘Blaze…’ Lloyd says softer now, his wings tucked close to appear less hostile to his friend. ‘We can’t help you if we don’t know what’s wrong… I don’t want to lose my friend, especially over something I know we can fix-’

‘What does any of this even matter?’ Blaze interrupted, irritated now as he turned to face Lloyd for the first time. ‘All of this, me… It’ll all be forgotten anyway.’ He spoke as he glanced away, glaring out at the river, the wing beats getting closer.

Lloyd went to immediately decline that when it hit him. Forgotten?... Kai… Before he could get a word out, the wind picked up suddenly, the wing beats thunderous now.

‘Lloyd. We’ve discussed leaving without telling anyone.’ Garmadon says and Lloyd gave a nervous rumble, forgetting that very long talk.

‘I’m sorry Dad, I had to go after Blaze.’ Lloyd apologised, nuzzling against his side then turned back to where Blaze stood, looking away from them, his wings drooped so low, they were touching the ground.

He lifted them again, giving a firm flap-

‘Blaze.’ The red dragon startles mid flap at the elder’s tone. ‘Where did you leave to. The others are worried. I am worried.’ Garmadon says as he walked over to Blaze who was looking at him like a deer in headlights.

‘I-I…’ Blaze stuttered, looking up at the elder before him.

‘Did something happen?’ Garmadon questions him and Blaze found it hard to get a word out.

‘He thinks that now that Kai is a full dragon like us, he’ll be forgotten.’ Lloyd told his father as he walked over and Garmadon glanced at his son then back at Blaze.

‘Is this true?’ Garmadon asked Blaze and he only averted his gaze, his tail flicking back and forth anxiously. ‘I see.’ The elder nods then laid down before Blaze and even then, he was larger than the red dragon.

‘What lead to you feeling like this?’ Garmadon asked, surprising Blaze.

He expected many things, him stating that his thoughts were wrong or right even, but not this. Blaze hesitated for a moment.

‘Kai…’ Blaze began, struggling for the words. ‘He has always been… Amazing… In every way. As a human, as a half dragon… As a full dragon…’ He hung his head as Garmadon listened attentively.

‘I… It’s just… Before, when he was only half like us… It was fine. He may have excelled at everything and everyone may have liked him but… I had being a full bred dragon on my side. You can’t replace someone of my size, right? At least, a half bred couldn’t… But… But…’ Blaze gritted his teeth, as he glanced down. ‘But from the moment Kai became like us, he’s had all eyes on him. I know he was hurt, in pain. I know that and I feel bad for it because he should have attention on him in that condition… But… But I…’ He lowered his head as Lloyd took a step closer, his heart aching for his friend.

Garmadon stopped him from interfering with a wing however.

‘I couldn’t help but feel… Immediately shut out… Immediately forgotten. I know I’m overreacting, acting like a spoiled hatchling but… Everyone is so focused on him now, always him. The others don’t even notice when I’m around anymore, don’t even care. I feel like such an outsider and I hate it!’ Blaze hissed, anger filling his tone before it vanished as quickly as it flared. ‘But… Kai is my friend too. He’s so bright and smart and caring and amazing… He deserves all the attention… I want him to have it, no matter how much it hurts… I just… Maybe it would be better if I weren’t around anymore…’ He grumbled low and Garmadon waited a moment to make sure he was done.

‘How would you not being around anymore make things better?’ He asked Blaze, using a wing to keep his anxious son in place.

‘If I weren’t around then… Then… The others, you guys could take Kai in without me in the way…’ He grumbled, the sound barely audible.

‘Kai has always been apart of our family however.’ Garmadon pointed out and Blaze glanced up at him. ‘He always has been, since the day he found Lloyd. That hasn’t and won’t change, Just like your position with us here.’ He says and Blaze opened his maw to argue.

‘No, not just yet. Let me finish as I had with you.’ Garmadon spoke and Blaze gave a frustrated huff but sat, keeping quiet. ‘It’s ok to feel insecure about your position here with us. It’s expected even. Even I have doubts from time to time. But it is important to remember that you are never truly alone. You play parts in each of our lives that Kai can’t. You may not realise it but it is the truth.’ He told Blaze who looked even more doubtful.

‘Yeah? Like what?’ He asked, unable to keep his pessimism out of his tone of voice.

‘You’re the only one who would break dad’s orders and get me more sweet fruit.’ Lloyd spoke up and Garmadon gave his son a look. ‘The point is, Kai never did and still wouldn’t do that because he thinks Dad’s right.’ He says, not looking at his father.

‘But that’s just fruit. And that’s back then anyway.’ Blaze says, not at all moved.

‘Yeah? Well you’re the only one who’ll let me win fights now.’ Lloyd continued and Blaze opened his mouth to protest but Lloyd kept going. ‘And you’re the only one who will let me chew on your tail and steal your place around the fire and lick me instead of headbutting and pretend to be a ghost to scare me and-’

‘Alright, alright. I get it.’ Blaze says, flicking at his muzzle with a wing affectionately, a gesture he uses to tell Lloyd he was rambling.

‘You’re the only one to do that too.’ Lloyd added with a purr then walked over to nuzzle him, Blaze allowing it, licking between his gold horns. ‘And…’ He whispered as he looked up at Blaze with large green eyes.

‘... If you left… I’d be really sad…’ Lloyd rumbled low and Blaze felt his heart squeeze.

‘... That’s playing dirty…’ Blaze protested feebly.

‘Is it working?’ Lloyd asked, not ceasing his deadly dragon eyes.

‘... Yeah. It is.’ Blaze grumbled then crooned as he nuzzled him.

He couldn’t leave Lloyd behind and especially not Nya. They’ve been at each other’s side since their parent’s death. He won’t leave… Not without a fight. Garmadon’s tail flickered back and forth, pleased with the scene before them. His tail whacked a tree however and they all looked once a large tree toppled across the river. Lloyd laughed then bounded over to his father, getting up on his hind legs as he grasped his father’s muzzle with both front paws.

‘Dad, you’re too big!’ He trilled and Garmadon huffed, giving Lloyd a lick that had the young dragon squirming.

‘If I wasn't as big as I am, you couldn’t sleep in my wing anymore. Are you sue you could live with that?’ Garmadon teased and Lloyd sat on his haunches then let himself fall on his back.

‘You make a strong point.’ Lloyd says and Garmadon chuckled.

‘Are you ready to return?’ Garmadon asked and Lloyd paused to consider.

‘Not yet. I want to hang out with Blaze for a bit longer. Just us.’ He says, looking over at a pleasantly surprised Blaze, unable to stop the wag of his tail.

‘Alright. Don’t stray too far.’ He warned them as he laid down, intent to take advantage of the sun in the form of a sunbath.

‘We won’t!’ Lloyd chirped, rolling over on his stomach then bounding back over to Blaze. ‘Last one across the tree is a rotten egg!’ Blaze blinked when Lloyd suddenly took off then growled as he bounded after him.

‘No fair!’ He called after Lloyd who only laughed.

_____

“Gliding is kinda fun!” Cole grinned, revealing thick fangs from where he stood on the back of his dragon self’s back, black wings spread wide.

‘It’s supposed to be.’ Kai huffed, amused. ‘It makes muscle memory easier and builds muscle strength. Flying isn’t all fun and games after all. It’s a work out.’ He told his friends.

‘Keep it up and you’ll all be able to fly like Zane soon enough.’ He encouraged and they all looked to where Zane was hovering over Jay who had enough muscle memory to move his wings as if he’s had them since birth but not enough muscle strength to keep himself in the air for longer than a few seconds.

The excitement in this other Jay’s eyes was undeniable however. They decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and lower their hostility around him. Zane was trying to convince him to rest. A yelp sounded and Kai held his wing up so Lloyd wouldn’t fall right off his body.

‘Man… How do you work this thing?’ Lloyd asked, looking back at his tail that was flicking almost angrily to show his impatience with it.

He must have tripped himself again.

‘It takes a while. Yours is almost as long as Jay’s so at least when you manage to control it and fly, you’ll be able to make quicker turns.’ Kai told him as an ultimatum and yeah, Lloyd could work with that.

‘Once you have all mastered these changes in your bodies, then we can see if you are able to return to your fully human forms and back.’ Dragon Wu told them as Nya kept experimenting with the movements of her wings, not quite having the hang of gliding as the others have.

‘Do you think Garmadon found Blaze?’ The blue and maroon dragon that was Nya asked no-one in particular, worried for her brother.

‘I’m positive my brother has. He is not very far away and I sense he has also found Lloyd. No doubt he has also found your brother.’ Wu crooned reassuringly and Nya nodded, trusting the elder.

‘Speaking of missing dragons…’ Lloyd says quietly then hopped off Kai’s back, his black wings with green horns spread as he glided to the ground, stumbling a bit once he hit the ground but he was focused on the space around them. ‘Where’s the little dragon?... And where’s our Wu?’ He asked with a frown.

‘He had let me know he was heading back to the ship for a bit with the dragon.’ The dragon version of Zane told them, his attention focused on the nindragon that was their Zane.

His workings, his very existence has and always will be fascinating to the intelligent dragon. He couldn’t imagine not being organic yet here a version of himself that wasn’t was…

‘Oh. Alright.’ Lloyd says though quietly, remembering how he had gotten angry at the little guy.

He was just worried and he had snapped at him as he had. He had to apologise… He missed his constant presence already… He sighed then turned back to Kai- only for his tail to curl before his leg, causing him to trip over it yet again. Snickers and snorts sounded then but he shot a glare at the others, dragon and half alike. They quickly looked away, barely stifling their amusement. He huffed then pushed himself up- then paused.

‘Wait…’ Lloyd says then turned to Dragon Zane. ‘... How could Sensei Wu tell you that?’ He asked him with a frown and the dragon looked at him confused, all eyes on Lloyd now.

‘Uncle Wu can’t understand dragons… And you guys can’t understand us. You only understand a few words…’ Lloyd says and they were all frowning at that realisation.

‘When he spoke… I understood…’ The dragon grumbled low then blinked, looking at the rest who were now looking at him with wide eyes. ‘He didn’t speak your human language…’ Zane told them and it all dawned on them.

‘He spoke… Ours.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll update another chapter when I wake up tomorrow!


	11. Chapter 11

‘Wait, wait wait. Are you sure?’ Cole asked the white dragon, unable to quite believe their Sensei Wu spoke the language of the dragons. ‘Because if Sensei Wu spoke your language, without ever coming in contact with any of your powers, then…’ He trailed off, his new tail flicking with unease.

‘Then Sensei Wu isn’t telling us something.’ Zane concluded, on his feet now, metallic wings folded behind his back.

A tense silence passed amongst them.

‘Are you all really surprised at that?’ Jay spoke up, breaking the silence, his ever present easy smile on his face, revealing his long fangs made for biting into flesh and distributing poison. ‘Sensei Wu has and always will not tell you something. And chances are, it’ll be something big he should have probably told you all or someone.’ He told them with a slight tilt of his head.

‘Yeah, ok. He has a point there.’ Nya spoke up and they all had to reluctantly agree due to their experiences.

‘But doesn’t this mean your Sensei Wu is somewhat of a dragon too?’ Dragon Cole asked them.

‘He always has been part dragon.’ Lloyd spoke with a frown, trying to figure this out. ‘The one who made this real, the First Spinjitzu Master, my father and Uncle Wu’s dad. He’s half oni and half dragon. So Uncle Wu already has dragon blood in him….’ He told them then began pacing.

‘But he clearly couldn’t understand you guys before, far worse speak like you. The Dragon Language is too complicated to just pick it up after a few days too.’ Lloyd continued.

‘He may have been able to not only understand, but speak like the dragons all this time and have just hidden it from us.’ Zane offered his hypothesis, titanium tail sweeping the ground slowly as he thought.

‘That or maybe he started to change like us somehow?’ Nya offered as well.

‘Or maybe he’s been like you all, all this time.’ Jay offered and they went to protest but quickly realised that it was actually a pretty solid assumption.

After all, Lloyd has kept his Oni appearance hidden from them for years before. Why can’t Sensei Wu?

‘You will not know for sure unless you ask.’ Wu spoke up and they looked to the elder dragon that was there with them.

‘That is assuming that he’ll tell them.’ Jay pointed out.

‘I have a feeling he will.’ The elder says lightly. ‘Whether he likes it or not.’ He adds, as if he knew something they didn’t.

‘You know, you’re kinda scary when you get all knowing, Dad.’ Morro spoke up for the first time from his position next to his father, content on watching them all.

Wu only nuzzled him.

‘So what do we do? Do we go ask him or…’ Nya asked the others, unconsciously folding her wings behind her back.

‘... I say we let him come to us and let us know what’s going on.’ Lloyd spoke up, crossing his arms. ‘We’ve always been prying secrets out of him, now let him come clean on his own.’ He says and yeah, they could agree to that.

‘Knowing Sensei Wu, that won’t happen soon. What do we do in the meantime, other than train our wings?’ Cole asked, flexing said wings, focusing in order to fold them right.

‘You could come hunting with us.’ Dragon Jay suggested and Kai beamed at that, getting to his feet.

‘I’ll-’

‘Keep resting as your father asked of you.’ Morro interrupted and Kai pouts, flopping back down on his stomach.

‘Don’t worry Kai. We will take it from here. You’ve been teaching them all day after all.’ Zane spoke, the large dragon getting to his feet. ‘Come. I’ll lead the way.’ He says, lowering his wing to the nindragon who made quick work climbing onto said wing and onto his back thanks to the modifications to his body.

Each of them took their ninja selves, Jay smirking atop the back of his dragon self.

‘Seems like we will take that flight after all, hmm?’ He says lightly and the large, blue, lightning dragon huffed.

‘Yeah. We will.’ Was all he said before Zane took off, prompting the other four dragons to follow, leaving their fortress.

‘I thought you’d go with them.’ Kai rumbled to Lloyd as he laid down, Morro crossing the space between him and Kai to lay down next to him.

Kai’s wing came to wrap around the smaller green dragon without hesitation, his wing almost completely covering him.

‘No. I have a question to ask.’Lloyd says then turned to the white elder dragon who was looking at him, no doubt he knows exactly what Lloyd wanted to ask.

Wu lowered his head closer to Lloyd, his golden horns glistening in the rays of sun shining into the enclosure as he did.

‘Ask, and I shall answer.’ Wu told him, gold eyes focused on him.

Lloyd nodded once. This is it. He’ll finally get the answers he’s been chasing all this time.

____

‘You really are a snake in the grass.’ Jay glanced over his shoulder at his dragon self then tilted his head to the side.

‘It’s stalkerish how you’re sticking to me.’ Jay says then continued deeper into the wilderness, searching for a meal.

He wasn’t feeling up to fish like most of the others.

‘Someone has to. You have no life preservation after all.’ Dragon Jay rumbled as he followed after him.

‘That may be true but I won’t go walking into the jaws of some predator.’ Jay told him then slid his tongue out to taste the air, humming at the scents he picked up.

Did he want ninja rabbit, or something that smelled far more threatening? This was his first hunt. He’ll stick to small. He kept his eyes to the trees as he ventured further, tasting the air still.

‘And I’ll make sure of that.’ Was what the dragon grumbled but Jay was more interested in the grey rabbit high up in a tree nearby.

He wasted no time scaling the tree, the task all too easy with this clawed hands and feet, his long tail semi coiled around the tree behind him, acting as extra balance. He didn’t immediately charge at the rabbit however. That was a ninja rabbit after all. It’s called such for a reason. He stayed a few branches down, out of its line of sight and down wind of it. He didn’t intend to move much further for his attack however. The dragon sat below the tree, watching him in curiosity and awe. He had tried to take on one of those furry animals before and had lost against it. Let’s just say it was an embarrassing tale he wasn’t the slightest bit interested in telling. Jay gauged the distance between them as well as the wind speed before deciding the perfect time to attack.

Attack he did- but not by leaping at the rabbit like the dragon expected. No. He opened his mouth and sprayed the rabbit with a pale blue concoction that startled it. It made to run- then suddenly went limp and dropped from the branch. Jay hopped off his branch, catching it mid air as his wings spread on their own to catch him, flapping a few times to keep him in the air longer before he glided to the ground, holding the still alive rabbit in hand but it wasn’t moving at all.

‘Your venom… Paralyzes… By just touching skin?’ The dragon asked in awe.

‘It doesn’t last very long on skin and even less on fur though.’ Jay says as the rabbit began to twitch, mobility returning.

Jay didn’t hesitate, sinking his fangs into the rabbit, pumping his venom inside it now. Dragon Jay looked on, torn between fascination and horror as his serpentine self dislocated his jaw with ease and swallowed the rabbit.  _ Whole _ .

‘I won’t need to eat for the rest of the day, into tomorrow. What about you?’ Jay says, looking to the dragon watching him as if he was some kind of attraction.

The dragon snapped out of it then.

‘I’ll find something.’ He rumbled, stretching a wing down as offering for a ride.

Jay climbed up the dragon, going directly for its head then sat there as they continued deeper into the forest.

‘I thought by now, you’d be at least trying to coax the other Jay out.’ Jay hummed as he looked out and about.

‘Why would I do that?’ The dragon asked curiously, heavy paws hitting the ground and sending smaller creatures scurrying.

‘It was implied with the ominous request for a flight.’ Jay says as his tail coiled into his lap and around his own hand several times as he tested just how hard it could squeeze.

The answer was very.

‘I offered the flight so you two could at the very least get some amount of understanding with each other. But things are quiet with you guys so there’s no need anymore.’ The dragon told him as he sniffed around, absentmindedly wondering if he could find another of those crustaceans from so long ago.

‘Huh.’ Jay says, leaning back, using his arms as support.

He wasn’t expecting that. That sounds a lot less troublesome than it did when he first offered. But then, knowing that other Jay, he would spend the time screaming their head off possibly. He hopes he’s taking heed and rethinking himself in there. Putting up with him much more was very appealing.

Further back, both Nyas were seeing who could catch the most fish, giving their elemental powers a thorough workout during while the Zanes had a large ice tub made for them to drop them in so they could carry them back. The excess would be added to the stream of water that spirals down the Dragon Tower, from the top where it was fed by the ever present cloud cover, no matter how thin and lows down into small puddles set up on each floor, to the bottom where it flowed into a small pond not too far away. The Coles were heading further up stream, checking the trees for fruit. The Dragons were omnivores after all. They enjoyed both fruit and animals. They’ve found a few before that the dragons seemed to like. The ice dragons were quite fond of ice berries and will actively seek it once they went out on their own. Zane reassured that their eating of the berries wasn’t doing a bad thing, rather a good one. The berries have been expanding at a fast rate and making it difficult for other life to thrive. They grew quickly as well so they could eat as much as they’d like. The large dragon Cole was traveling with lifted his head as they kept walking.

‘You smell food?’ Cole asked him but the black and brown dragon shook his head.

‘I smell Blaze. And Lloyd. And Garmadon.’ He told his smaller counterpart.

‘They must be further upstream.’ Cole guessed since the river was running in the opposite direction they were walking. The wind the water was picking up must be blowing their scents downstream.

‘Most likely.’ The dragon agreed then began running.

‘Hey! Wait up!’ Cole yelled after his dragon self who only huffed, looking back at him amused as he ran after him.

‘Race you there.’ Was all the black dragon says before speeding up.

Cole sputtered, watching the dragon dash ahead, surprisingly fast for his size. He didn’t have much of a choice, now did he? He ran as fast as he could after his dragon self, relying on his endurance and stamina to help him catch up- but that was easier said than done when the one you’re chasing is not only bigger, but also possesses that very same endurance and stamina. Maybe even more. He panted once he finally caught up to the stagnant dragon who gave him a pitying croon before sweeping him off the ground with his tail and settled him on his back.

‘We’ll work on that.’ He promises the exhausted half dragon then looked to where Blaze and Lloyd had gotten carried away with their gathering competition. On the plus side, they now had enough fruit to last for a few days. On the downside… Blaze and Lloyd gave their fellow dragon a sheepish smile as he looked at them unimpressed.

He will have to carry it all. Garmadon kept his eyes shut and his senses fanned, sensing them all and what they were up to. He gave an amused huff at the earth dragon’s predicament before directing his focus elsewhere, to a human transport not too far away that held the other version of his brother. What waited there… Was quite interesting… He wonders how the ninja will react… Back in the tower, Lloyd stood straight as he met the gold eyes of the dragon version of his uncle.

‘That little black dragon. You realised something about him some time ago. What was it?’ He asked the elder dragon and Kai lifted his head at that.

There was a moment of silence before the dragon spoke.

‘That dragon’s essence, his very aura is something I had discovered as familiar. It is almost exactly the same as one other I have met before.’ Wu told him and Lloyd braced himself, his heart thumping hard against his chest with nervousness. ‘... The only one to have such a familiar aura… Such a familiar essence… Is-”

“Brother?” Wu whispered from the Bounty, looking down at the small black dragon that was sadly curled up on the ground before him, his gold, slitted eyes wide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop almost forgot to post. Some filler but next chapter gets more serious~


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back from the dead!!! I'm sorry to disappear on you guys but sad times said hey and well... Anyways I wanna have another chapter up before today ends so look out for that! Thanks for sicking around!

Lloyd stared at the elder dragon with wide eyes, surprise coursing through him.

‘... I’m not even surprised anymore.’ Kai commented, breaking the silence.

‘If you were, you’d be pretty lime.’ Morro commented, shifting onto his back and batting at Kai’s wing idly.

‘One, I think you mean lame and two, hey!’ Kai grumbled then hissed, lowering his head to nip at Morro who only batted his snout away.

‘... But that can’t be right.’ Lloyd finally spoke up and the dragon version of his uncle looked at him curiously.

‘How so?’ He asked Lloyd who frowned.

‘If he were my father… I’d be able to tell right away.’ Lloyd told him surely. ‘And my father’s an Oni, not a dragon.’ He pointed out and Wu nods.

‘All very true. But only one person can confirm or deny if the dragonling is your father or not.’ The elder dragon rumbled and Lloyd nods.

Only his uncle Wu can tell them that or not… He might have to wait a bit before that happens. Though, he had to admit, the realisation made some sense. Why else would a dragon he’s never met before seem so very familiar to him? But why would he be so fussy over him? He was sure his father lacked all means to care about anything that didn’t aid him somehow. Though, it has him a little worried. He has no clue where his father is. After the battle against the Oni, he all but vanished into thin air. What if that dragon really was him? What if he got himself into a situation and they turned him into it? He wasn’t the most careful nor caring person right now, despite his focus on survival. He just hopes that if it really is him, there’s a way to turn him back.

Meanwhile, Wu was at a loss. This dragonling certainly identifies as his brother but that wasn’t possible. He knows his brother’s movements, has been keeping an eye on him through his spirit smoke. His brother was very much still an Oni, not a dragon. Yet, this dragon radiated the same aura, carried the same scent, and now that he looked, carried the same horns and eyes as he. What… What was this? How can this be? He stared at the dragon in thought, even as it only laid there, still upset about what Lloyd had said. He could clearly understand them yet even like this, Wu couldn’t understand anything about this. He huffed through his nose. He needed to meditate to be certain… And to reveal some truth to his students and nephew.

Not too far away, the dragons and their counterparts all gathered to where the dark elder dragon was resting. The ninja were reminded just how big he was as he rose up to sit, his size easily passing that of the ultra dragon. Even with the added height of their newly shifted legs, they were absolutely tiny in comparison.

‘Let us return. The sun is setting.’ He rumbled and they nodded.

‘Uh… We could use a paw…’ Lloyd says sheepishly to his father, glancing across at all the fruit they gathered nearby, the leaves they had been carrying them back with snapped.

Garmadon gave an amused huff before looking to the Zanes.

‘If you would.’ He rumbled and they fashioned a large basket of thick ice for both Lloyd and Kai to toss their finds in.

With their food secure, the dragons returned to their Ninjagan home. There, they found the winged Oni Lloyd deep in thought as Kai dozed with Morro under wing. He peered a lowly glowing amber eye open once they arrived, their collective wing beats making it impossible to sleep through. He yawned, watching as everyone filtered in, the whole lay-around-and-eat lifestyle already gotten bored to him. He blinked once Blaze approached him, smelling guilt on him.

‘What’s up?’ Kai asked as he rose up to sit, Morro grumbling as he did.

‘... You aren’t replacing me, are you?’ Blaze asked him after a moment and Kai looked horrified.

‘’Course not!’ Was Kai’s immediate response. ‘What makes you think that? Is it something I said?’ He asked, tail flicking anxiously.

‘No.’ Blaze huffed, feeling stupid now as he glanced away. ‘I was just being an idiot.’ He rumbled low, rubbing at his front leg with the other.

Kai looked him over carefully, concerned.

‘I doubt that.’ Kai says as he got to his feet, walking up next to him and draping a wing over Blaze, both of them the same size and almost exactly identical. ‘We might look a like but there’s really only one of each of us and neither of us are replaceable. Or forgettable.’ He huffed giving him a comforting nudge Blaze returned with a soft rumbling purr.

‘Kai’s great and all but come on. He isn’t you, brother.’ Nya huffed, the light blue dragoness walking over to nudge her brother, rubbing against his side.

‘See? Our Nyas are smart. They know what they’re talking about.’ Kai rumbled as he lowered his head to his Nya, huffing once she flicked his nose.

‘How are you? Does it hurt to move around?’ The bright green dragon that was Lloyd asked as he walked over.

‘It hurts a little but I’m alright.’ Kai reassured him, nuzzling him too.

“Here comes Sssensei…” Jay hummed from where he lingered by the exit closest to the location of the ship.

The other didn’t have a chance to go look. No, Wu flew in on his own, landing on all fours, white wings open before he folded them. In this form, he looked very familiar to the other Wu in the area but noticeably smaller. He glanced over at his students with gold slitted eyes and was as mildly surprised as they look that they weren’t more surprised about this. Then gain, considering all they have been through… He began shifting, reducing in size, taking a more humane form, scanty scales on his cheeks and neck and covering the tips of his ears

“Let me guesss. There’ss sssomething you haven’t told usss.” Jay says lightly, tilted his head to the side.

“Yes.” Wu sighed, folding his hands behind his back, a familiar black shape around his neck.

“Uncle.” Lloyd says as he stepped forward, eyes on the small black dragon around his neck. “Tell me is that… My father?” He asked Wu.

“Yes…” Wu responded and Lloyd's breath caught. “But also no.” He added, confusing him.

“I have been keeping track of my brother and he is very much still on the move. But this dragon also identifies as him. That is the confusing part.” He says as he pulled the dragon from around his neck, said dragon still sulking.

Lloyd looked at it- at him… Before he reached out and took him in hand not missing how this dragon who was also supposed to be his father, was immediately meek in his presence. It must be because he yelled at him...

“Hey…” Lloyd began with a sigh, guiltily rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I know you’re probably mad at dad- er.” Lloyd paused, realising this was going to get about as confusing as their names and the other dragon names were.

“Big dad.” He settled on, glancing over at the larger Garmadon as he walked over to Kai, checking his wings. “About everything but it really wasn’t his fault and he doesn’t have it out for me. I like spending time with him so if you could give him enough of a break to not throw a fit whenever he’s close, I’d appreciate that.” He spoke quietly and the small black dragon that was somehow his father and also not looked up at him with shiny red eyes then across at the larger other worldly version of himself... 

He then gave small, grumbling squeaks but then crawled his way around his favorite spot on Lloyd’s neck, rubbing his small head against his cheek and Lloyd chuckled, taking it that he forgives him and will cut Big Dad some slack.

“So what do we do now?” Lloyd asked, looking to his uncle.

“I’ll have to track down my brother and bring him here to see if we can solve this mystery.” Wu told him, stroking his beard. “That is a task easier said than done.” He added, folding his arms behind his back.

“We’ll keep an eye out on these big guys while you’re gone and if anything comes up in Ninjago City, we can take care of it in teams.” Cole grinned from his place atop his alternate self who was helping himself to the food, the lower levels of dragon already receiving their share.

“Speaking of, we should probably get in touch with Pixal. She’s been holding the fort down in New Ninjago City but she’s still waiting for an update from us.” Nya spoke up.

“I wonder if no-one isss assking why he hid it after what happened with Kai and Lloyd becausse you’re all blissssfully ignorant or if you all figured you won’t get a ssstraight ansswer.” Jay spoke up from where he was sitting cross legged near an exist, his eyes almost glowing in the diminishing light of day, making him look downright sinister.

It had Wu pausing for a moment.

‘Well now that Jay mentioned it, I am a bit curious…” Kai says from his place on his back, Garmadon- er.

Big Dad being thorough in checking him now that movement didn’t hurt too much. Wu sighed then.

“It was for my protection.” He told them and that bit was surprising. “Unlike my brother, I was born with these draconic genes already awakened. My father was fine with them, but had started to fear for my safety as humanity began to thrive. He couldn’t save the few dragos that lived in ninjago at that time but he could save me. So he bound my ability to shift and appear draconic so I would appear as an average human. I had the power to break it if I chose but if I so ever did, I would not have the ability to fully hide these traits of mine ever again as the process to do so is…” Wu glanced at Lloyd.

“Very harmful.” He finished.

“So why not inform Lloyd of that? You could have done so without revealing yourself in this way.” Zane pointed out.

“... Simply because I did not know of his ability to change either. I had not expected him to inherit his father’s genes in this way, nor did I sense it. With my binding, I also lacked the ability to sense and communicate with my kin and Oni alike.” He explained.

“Cool but like all the times before, a lot of trouble could have been avoided if you had told us at some point.” Nya pointed out. “We should keep something totally major a secret until the last second and see how you like it.” She huffed.

‘The lesson here is to learn from your masters’ mistakes, not follow in their footsteps.’ Garmadon rumbled nearby as he sat, satisfied with his check up on Kai, deeming him a whole dragon, not missing anything nor having anything in addition to that.

Which meant he should be able to fly and use his powers without trouble though he will have to relearn how to fly with the new shift in his weight. His wings had the muscle for it so he doesn’t need to build any up. But it would still be a solid day before he would be ok with letting him fly however.

“He’s right. Considering our line of work, keeping secrets won’t be the best thing.” Zane nodded, his vice dry.

“Well, today was eventful.” Cole says with a stretch his wings and tail mimicked.

“Tell me about it.” Lloyd says dryly, stroking his father’s head with a finger. “I’m beat.” He sighs, knowing it was early still but the emotional rollercoaster that was today wore him out.

“... Ssso.” Jay spoke up, wondering if other Jay’s team had always been this oblivious, and if so, how do they managed to keep saving Ninjago on repeat. “No-one isss going to quesstion how Garmadon undersstood usss?” He asked them and they stared at him collectively, before staring up at Garmadon.

“This day just keeps getting interesting, huh?” Nya says dryly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm definitely gonna have to like, give the dragons other names because damn, it's starting to get confusing. Better v soon or else it'll get worse later on when visitors will drop by.
> 
> Also Big Dad is a filler name for now. I'll replace it because it's too close to big daddy and I- *cringes*


	13. Chapter 13

Jay swung his legs over the edge of the Bounty’s railings as he looked out at the view ahead. Sensei Wu left on his trip to find Garmadon as he was sure that the Garmadon Lloyd had wasn’t quite him. As for large dragon Garmadon’s ability to understand them, they had a hypothesis for that. Since the longer they spend in their world, the more they began to adapt and become like them, the reverse must be true for the dragons. After all, understanding their language is the first part of the change. There was a chance that the dragons might be able to take a human form the longer they stay and wasn’t that a conundrum. The dragons being able to become human would be handy but if they lost the ability to shift back because they were spending too long of a time here was what they were worried about.

They would have still been puzzling over a solution if he hadn’t reminded them of a certain pink haired dimensional traveler they knew. That was another issue: pinning her down. She could be in any dimension right now and might not be back for who knows how long. But then Cole helpfully pointed out that her father might have a means of contacting her. But they ran into the problem of their new appearances and their inability to switch to normal just yet. They were working on that now. Jay already knew he wouldn’t be involved in anything unless they needed his lightning. He gave a light huff. Or should he say, other him’s lightning. Two days of the week that other him had to sort himself out had already gone by, today being the third.

In 4 days, he won’t even be a memory once he comes back. He was fine with that. Really he was. Existence was the biggest bother right now. It’s just certain death and problems at every corner with no escape. That wasn’t his kind of thing. Though… He tilted his head back, looking up at the partially clouded sky. He’d like to fly before he dies. That could go wrong in so many ways, he knew but… He’d like to know what it’s like to feel the wind under his own wings. Would he feel as free as the dragons look up there? He wanted to find out. After that, he’d be satisfied. But if he doesn’t get the chance… Well, what does it matter? He reached up and carefully scratched at his scalp, well aware of just how sharp these claws of his are as his horned tail thumped the deck of the ship lightly. Man existence really was a bother. Here he was thinking about complicated and depressing things. He blames his other part for having such a depressing mindset.

“Isolation never does anyone any good you know…” Jay huffed, glancing over his shoulder, his slitted blue eyes meeting Cole’s green and golden orange ones.

“Conssidering I’m amongsst the likess of you, I think issolation iss jusst what the doctor ordered.” Jay hummed as he looked out at the almost plain like landscape just before the rainforest that was Hiroshi’s Labyrinth.

“I don’t think you really mean that.” Cole huffed as he walked over, leaning against the railing. “After all, everyone needs someone…” He murmured as he looked out too, the tip of his tail flicking back and forth as his folded wings relaxed further.

“Iss that ssso…” Jay whispered softly, not bothering to correct him.

Needing someone might be a necessity to him and the others…But he only had so long left… And really, all he felt like he needed… Was a chance to fly. He chuckled to himself, Cole watching him curiously as he did. This was becoming troublesome…

_____

“Ok.” Lloyd says as he looked at his supposed dragon father from where he set him down on the ground just outside of the dragons’ tower, sitting just across from him. “If you’re my dad, what’s my favorite colour?” He asked with narrowed eyes.

The small black dragon paused, its long body coiled like a snake before it skittered away. Lloyd watched it curiously as it did, his small frame disappearing in the nearby bushes making him tense. He could get lost- His thought was interrupted once he came skittering back with something red in his small mouth, making Lloyd’s eyes widened. He walked forward, holding the- the raspberry up for Lloyd to take- which he did. His favorite colour actually was red. He picked up the glossy back dragon and the ripe berry he held in his small mouth still before accepting it, looking him over.

“You really are dad…” Lloyd whispered before taking a bite of half the berry, offering the rest to him. “But how’d you get like this? And who’s the other dad out there Sensei Wu is going after?” He asked him but his father he should probably nickname to save confusion- only looked at him while eating the berry in bites before tilting his head in a sort of shrug.

This dragon was definitely human.

‘Everyone always thinks it’s green for some reason.’ Lloyd looked up at his dragon self as he walked over, eyes on the miniature dragon that was his father.

“Right?” Lloyd huffed, a smile tugging at his lips, revealing his fangs. “I wear green all day. Of course I’d get tired of it. It’s one of my least favorite colours actually.” He says as the green scaled dragon laid next to him, Kai walking around with his dad not too far away.

‘I don’t mind it too much but it’s not my favorite colour. Dad says that I came out like an emerald because I’m his treasure… It’s hard to hate it after that…’ He rumbled fondly and Lloyd looked up at his counterpart surprised.

He then looked down at his dad without really seeing him. Other him was lucky. He got to grow up with their dad… He blinked once something touched his forehead, focusing to see his father pressing his forehead against his, warmth filling him a moment after as a soft purr left him. He’d hug him if he could but he supposed this was good enough for now.

‘I know how to walk on all fours. I do that almost every day.’ Kai huffed as he paced back and forth to prove his point.

‘You may be used to it as a half human but the fundamentals are different as a full dragon.’ Garmadon lectured as he sat patiently, watching his stride carefully.

‘I’m ready to fly! Watch me!’ Kai declared.

‘Kai do-’ He was too late.

Kai had flapped his wings and had taken air, beating his wings still to keep himself hovering high up mid air.

‘See? I’m…’ Kai blinked once he suddenly banked left without meaning to, then dipped right, his flight pattern unsteady. ‘Uh-oh.’ Was all Kai got out before he dropped suddenly, his wings failing to catch him somehow- but Garmadon did, catching him by the tail, leaving him swinging as he blinked at the ground below.

‘Learn to listen to your elders Kai.’ Garmadon rumbled, setting him down. ‘Flying as a dragon is not the same as flying as a half dragon.’ He scolded and Kai looked up at him sheepishly, rubbing his front leg with his paw.

‘Yeah… Sorry Dad…’ Kai apologized as his wings drooped.

‘It’s fine. Mistakes were meant to be made. Some of our most crucial lessons are learned from them.’ Garmadon reassured then sat again. ‘Now, wing exercises.’ He says, spreading his wings and Kai held back a whine at how boring it is.

He did want to fly after all…

________

“Uh-” Was Vortica’s first word uttered once she stepped out of her portal hours after her father contacted her, looking up owlishly at the huge structure that certainly wasn’t around these parts before, filled with dragons.

“That was surprisingly quick.” She glanced over to see Lloyd as he got to his feet, staring at him wide eyed.

“Wanna explain why Dragon Dimension Alpha 106 looks like it puked all over this area- and you?” She asked, glancing at his dark wings.

“It’s a long story you really should hear.” Lloyd says sheepishly.

“I really should, considering this cluster of dimensions are under my jurisdiction and my mother will quite possibly kill me if she finds out about this.” She says, gesturing to the building and the Dragons gliding about.

“Ok, so we got rid of the Oni in the Dragon Dimension but their cloud cover kinda blocked the sunlight for the flora there for too long- and deprived them and the creatures living there of oxygen- and kinda caused a mass extinction. The dragons-”

“Couldn’t stay there or else they’d die due to lack of food supplies and decreasing oxygen levels. So you all decided to take them here to allow their world to recover as time passes slower here but now you’re concerned that they might be here for too long and become too human and lose their ability to shift into dragons, correct?” Vortica asked as she reached for her satchel and dug around it.

“Well- yeah.” Lloyd says surprised.

“Happened with Dragon Dimension Delta 8032 and Ninjago 35994.” Was all she said as her explanation, pulling out a small, sort of chip. “Where’s your Kai? I need to borrow that Dimensional Crystal real quick.” She says as she looked around then paused once the large red dragon all but trotted over.

‘It’s back at the Bounty actually. I don’t have the uh… Means of keeping it on me right now.’ Kai rumbled.

“She can’t-”

“That’s fine. Could you fetch it real quick Lloyd? I gotta make some notes in the meantime of the other dimension I’m observing. My old woman is really cracking down on dimensional order, you know?” Vortica says as she rolled her shoulders’ pulling a pen out of her bag. “And yes, I can understand all languages throughout all dimensions and anyone I speak to will be able to understand me.” She answered before Lloyd could ask.

‘It’s under my pillow.’ Kai told Lloyd and he nodded, getting down on all fours and taking off.

She then pressed a button on her pen, revealing writing in thin air that was done in her trademark colour and continued where she left off, writing in mid air as Kai circled her a few times curiously, Garmadon, the large dad dragon loomed over her curiously.

‘What language is that?’ Kai asked, never seeing it before.

“It’s a secret language that only the Federation of Dimensional Safety and Order knows so don’t bother trying to figure it out.” Vortica mumbled as she kept focus. “Even like this, you lot are nothing compared to  _ their  _ power… They might come in handy actually…” She continued to mumble, more to herself now.

‘Another version of us?’ Garmadon asked curiously.

“The ninja more specifically.” Vortica clarified. “I have to head back and keep an eye on them still to check their progress. They’re insanely powerful. God tier. Above that actually.” She says, pulling up an image of the vaporized spot where the Monastery in that realm was.

“This was done by that world’s version of you.” Vortica says and Kai stared with wide eyes.

‘Are you even allowed to show me stuff like this?’ He asked her and she snorted as she minimized the picture and continued writing.

“Look at yourself. You’re literally stuck between two dimensions right now. This Ninjago may be your Dimension of origin but you’re also just as tied to the Dragon Dimension. With how frequently the distances and borders of your dimensions have been crossed, that’s really no surprise. But I knew that when I gave you the Dimensional Crystal. I just didn’t expect all this. I’m curious to see what both your dimensions will do to cope with the link you opened up between them… But you’re another project I don’t have the time for right now. I only came because my dad said it was an emergency. Speaking of, I might as well leave you guys with your own way of getting to me, just in case.” She says, writing still.

“Oh.” She added, turning the notepad off and looking to Kai. “And when you guys manage to track down your version of Garmadon- the bigger one I mean, make sure to let me know. That’s a problem I need to fix so my mom can get off my tail.” She huffed, reaching a hand out towards Lloyd and the others once he came with the magenta crystal.

“Thanks.” Vortica says as she took the crystal in hand, opening a portal and sticking her hand and the chip inside.

She waited for a bit before pulling the chip back through as it glowed pink. She then tossed it up and they all watched in awe once it went up and up and up still, disappearing over the top of the tower.

“Don’t worry it’s up there. I had to put a sort of field up around the Labyrinth that’ll adjust the Dragons’ internal dimensional clock to this Ninjago, so you won’t have to worry about them losing their Dragonly touch. They can leave the area but it’s recommended that they don’t stay out for long. And if you think it’s easier for them to regress then don’t let it pass what will most likely be Kai’s new normal. If it does then the chances of them turning back will be significantly low- and painful.” She told them with a sigh, pushing her short magenta hair back tiredly. “Also, for conta-”

‘Wait, what do you mean my new-’

“-cting me, use this.” She says, tossing a small device to Zane. “You’re smart, you can figure it out. I’ll allow one test message and a confirming reply but after that, don’t contact me unless it’s absolutely dire- that or you found your Garmadon- the big one. Please nickname them for now, this is getting old. I’ve really gotta run back to that dimension though. Everyone got that?” She asked them.

‘You said something about my form?-’

“This is advanced technology, an instruction manual would-”

“Ok good. Bye!” She yelled, backing up into her portal that opened behind her, tossing the Dimensional Crystal into Cole’s hands as she did. They stared at where she disappeared collectively.

“... Now what?” Cole asked.

“... We figure things out on our own I suppose…” Zane says as he looked over the small device in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so we have a drop in from Vortica! Long time no see my faithful oc! Hey! That rhymed! Anyways, we all know where she's investigating ;).
> 
> But! The beginning arc as ended and it's time for the middle arc starting with a small time skip! I'll include what happens in times past and snippets of important parts (like Jay's upcoming parts. Might actually write all of that out actually) but that's all in the next update! (hopefully tomorrow but if not then definitely the day after)
> 
> The middle arc is still gonna be focused on the ninja but it's time for others to share the spotlight. See you then!


	14. Chapter 14

Run.

Jump.

Soar…

And fall.

Jay- or should he say Tempest now, as his true self’s friends have named him- wasn’t sure why he was trying so hard to do it. To fly. By now, the others could spend a good minute in the air before they got tired. He couldn’t even lift off the ground for more than a second, no matter how his dragon half tried to tutor him. He was feeling… Frustration. Man was that an unusual concept. He hated it. He had a little over half a day left. 12 hours, 32 minutes. His long tail swept the ground irritably. That was another thing. This endeavor was pulling so much out of him and he wholey blamed the ‘true’ Jay for that. The large black dragon everyone was taking to call Dad, much to said dragon’s delight, had told him the fault lies in his serpentine genes. His bone structure was different from the others, his spine far more flexible and the disposition of his weight different. They weren’t sure how to teach him, was what it came down to.

And the other him’s precious team? They were almost sickeningly encouraging. Telling him to not give up and that he’d learn soon. Tempest frowned. And that was yet another thing. Why couldn’t he just give up? It would be easier to. Less of a hassle. He wanted to and to just throw the whole idea out the window… But… He couldn’t. And wasn’t that even more annoying. 

He glared outside, at the thunderstorm brewing outside, emotions he wasn’t used to brewing beneath his scales. He gave a low, irritable hiss mindful of the sleeping dragons around. He stood then, making up his mind. If they can’t teach him, then he’ll have to teach himself. He glanced over at his shoulder, unsurprised as glowing gold and red eyes looked back at him, belonging to the dragon elders. They nodded simultaneously, in a way only brothers could and he turned away before jumping out, spreading his wings to help him glide down. He landed roughly still, the rain already soaking him in the dark of night. He wasn’t deterred, taking off to a specific place he saw on the map, back at the Bounty. He had roughly 12 hours left to sate this almost insatiable itch he’s developed and he won’t stop until he’s done so.

Garmadon and Wu meanwhile, shared a pleased look from where they laid next to each other, their dragonlings under their large wings to provide warmth in the face of the chilling winds. Some lessons can’t be taught… But they can be learnt on their own with time.

_____

Tempest stood at the edge of the cliff, the winds off the rough sea blowing up the side of the cliff, clashing with the winds of the storm still, creating an area of chaotic winds. He straightened his back, thunder rumbling overhead. If he was going to do something as bothersome as teaching himself, he may as well challenge himself while doing it. He took off with a running start, wings spread and hanging low before he jumped- only to be flung up in the air by the force of the winds off the sea then slammed back into the ground by the winds of the storm. He grunted as he pushed himself up, mud coating his back but he grinned, teeth glistening in the flashes of lightning as his eyes glowed menacingly. He was borderline being forced to do this. He already decided he wouldn't stop until he mastered this, only because he felt he had no choice. It doesn’t matter how many times he gets batted around. He had to keep getting up. With that, he got to his feet again, took off again and hit the ground twice as hard. He only kept getting up however, unable to quit. Lightning was his element and so were storms in extension. He’ll master this, no matter what.

___________

“Where’s Tempest?” Cole asked once he woke up to the curly haired brunette nowhere in sight.

“I was just about to ask.” Lloyd says as he looked around from above, using it as a means of early morning exercise for his wings.

‘Tempest’s missing?’ Kai asked as he slithered out from Garmadon’s wing, shivering a bit at the sudden change from warmth to cold as the storm outside continued. ‘That’s not good. He’s not himself and-’

‘He’ll be fine.’ Wu dismissed, glancing at them through a large golden eye. ‘He had something of importance only he could do.’ He told them and they looked at each other with a frown, Nya and Zane not with them to meet up with Pixal who would be dropping by today to help figure out how the device Vortica gave Zane worked.

“I trust your word but if he doesn’t come back soon, we’ll go looking for him.” Cole says as Lloyd touched down again.

“Yeah. I mean, Tempest isn’t bad once you get used to him but… He’s all we’ve seen all week and we're still not clear on his intentions still.” Lloyd says as Little G, as they’ve taken to calling the small dragon that was his father, climbed up his head and settled into the warmth of his hair. “I’m kinda worried…” He admits with a small frown.

‘I think you’ll be seeing Jay soon though.’ Dragon Jay whom they’ve taken to calling Wisp to clear confusion says from his place huddled under Garmadon’s wing, his head poking out. ‘Tempest’s been acting a little off, as if he was in a rush to learn how to fly… I’ve been trying to teach him directly but well, no progress. I remember him mentioning a specific amount of time the day before yesterday. Shard helped me calculate your time and it ends in roughly an hour from now.’ He explained to them, gesturing to Shard which was the new name of Dragon Zane.

“Maybe he and our Jay made some kind of deal on the time he spends out?” Cole suggested, looking to Lloyd.

“Maybe…” Lloyd murmured, tail flicking as he thought. “But if he still doesn’t turn up by then, then we’ll go looking for him.” He says as he walked back towards Dad, putting his wings and tail away as he did so he could duck back under his wing were everyone else was.

They were all pressed together tightly to make sure they could all fit. He then settled in the crook between his dragon self’s head and front paw, Green Bean (called Greenie for short which he absolutely disliked which made it more fun to call him that) not stirring from his sleep. Lloyd stared up at the black wing of his second (third?) father as Little Garmadon settled against his chest now. He just hopes Jay is doing ok out there… Tempest too...

_____

Tempest was actually getting the hang of it. After countless total wipeouts and several times nearly drowning in the rough sea, he was starting to develop a pattern. An ephiany even. The way the dragons tried to teach him to fly was too stiff, too restricted for his body type. He was more serpentine than dragon after all and even less human. He needed to work with the changes to his body. Serpentine were fluid, like water in their movements. He needed to apply the same for his flying as moving in that way helps to distribute his weight to something his wings could carry. His tail was by no means light after all and the length of it had only served to throw him off before. Now, it was perfect for tight, winding turns and speed. A huge gust of wind threatened to throw him out of the air but he pulled his wings closer and spun, winding through the gust then heading higher still, towards the clouds as he beat his wings harder and faster.

Finally! Finally he was doing it and- He flew up through the storm, the lightning that struck him arcing along his body and up the horns that started on his head, ending at the tip of his tail. He burst through from the dark clouds, the sudden assault of sunlight almost blinding him as he flew still. He panted as he came to a hover, blue skies all around and the warmth of the sun being his only company. He looked down as he heard thunder rumble, seeing the storm brewing still below. He didn’t know what caused it. Maybe it was the high altitude getting to him but laughed then, his cheeks hurting with the wide smile that accompanied it. He flew in a backwards loop then paused again, chuckling as he swiped his tears away.

“You know, you’re a real pain in our asss.” Tempest huffed, not able to fully wipe the smile off his face.

“Me?!” Jay sputtered as he took over. “You’re the ssstiffy with a ssstick up your asss. I mean, if we're gonna ssshare this body, you need to know when to loossen up, pall.” He huffed, crossing their arms.

“All you’ve done iss caused me nothing but unnecesssary trouble.” Tempest says with a roll of his eyes as he took over again. “And who sssayss we’ll be sssharing anything? You’re going to take your body back and conssider healthier meanss of dealing with ssstresss. I’ll fade out.” He told him and Jay frowned as he took over again- yelping when he almost dropped out of the sky.

“Watch the wingss. Are you trying to get yoursself killed?” Tempest snipped as he took over again, righting them and starting a descent back into the storm, landing on the cliff’s edge. “Thiss body issn’t ussed to flying yet to do it on itss own.” He reminded.

“Heh. Might have ssslipped my mind.” Jay says sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head and Tempest gave a drawn out sigh in the back of his mind. “And come on, you have to admit; flying iss pretty amazing, no matter how many timess we ate dirt to get here.” He grinned then grimaced.

“Ssspeaking of, if you ever make me eat another animal- raw and alive- I’ll ssscream for a full day.” Jay says then worked his jaw, noticing that yes, he could open his mouth wider than he remembered.

“Would you rather I let you ssstarve?” Tempest asked with an arched brow. “And bessidess, you aren’t human anymore and won’t ever be. Raw food iss pretty much your new diet. You ssshould get ussed to that.” He shrugged, pushing his hair back as they were soaked.

“... You can ssstick around you know…” Jay says quietly and there was silence.

**‘What’s with the sudden change of heart?’** Tempest asked from the back of his mind.  **‘And that’s still a no-go. Not only is existence too troublesome, but we don’t need you getting complacent with my presence.’** He told him, voice noticeably more distant.

“But flying was troublessome, wassn’t it? Wassn’t it worth all that trouble in the end?” Jay asked, watching the sea throw itself at the cliffs. “And you’re kinda your own person now ssso you can choosse when to pop in. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I so took awarenesss for granted and would 100% not do that whole ssslumbering thing again but... We can coexisst like this and you can just sssleep the resst of the time if you don’t like being around that much. At leasst try it out before you turn it down.” He urged and he could feel Tempest frown.

“Look, I thought you were an assshole before but you really sssaved me from sssaying some dumb ssstuff back then. Plus I got a little time to get to know you. You’re not half bad. Sssarcastic and melodramatic yes-”

**‘Who are you calling-’**

“But not bad.” Jay shrugged, ignoring his protest with a cheeky grin.

Tempest sighed. He’d never admit it but he had a point. Flying was a pain but it stole his breath in the end.

**‘... Fine.’** He caved and Jay whooped.  **‘Don’t get too excited. I’m only giving this thing a test run and if it’s too much trouble I’m going.’** Tempest warned but Jay’s grin didn’t falter.

“Deal!” He yelled then turned around, looking at the forest. “Now uh, before you sssleep or whatever you have planned, could you uh... Point me back in the direction of the Dragon Tower?” He asked sheepishly.

**‘You really are hopeless.’** Tempest sighed as he took control of his body, taking to the air and heading back.  **‘And you should really learn how to talk in your mind else people are gonna start thinking that you’re crazy… Not that I’d blame them…’** He mumbled.

“Yeah, you’re prob- oh! Uh…” Jay says, facepalming.  _ ‘You’re probably right.’ _ He finished in his mind, perking up once the tower came into view.

Tempest let him take over and Jay quickened his pace, missing his friends. Sure he’s been around but it wasn’t exactly him and he wasn’t aware of anything then, only Tempest, distantly. He liked the name though. Cole was pretty good with them.

“Guyss!” Jay yelled as he flew in, landing on his feet a bit unsteadily.

“Wait- Jay?!” Cole asked with wide eyes noticing the difference immediately in his tone.

“The one and only!” Jay grinned cheekily- grunting immediately after once he was swept up in a hug.

“Oh buddy! We’ve missed yah!” Cole grinned, giving hima squeeze then set him down.

“Good to have you back, Jay.” Lloyd smiled as he walked over, hugging the blue ninja then backing up so Kai could nuzzle him.

‘But if you’re back, then what about Tempest?’ Kai asked him.

“He’ss ssstill around. I convinced him to ssstick around.” Jay shrugged then rubbed his arm. “Look guyss, about earlier, on the Bounty…” He began but Cole waved him off.

“It’s alright. I mean, I’d flip out too if I was suddenly and irreversibly a serpentine. I mean, remembered when I became a ghost?” He reminded them and yeah.

They’ve all had their moments before.

“Ssstill ssstuck like that, Kai?” Jay asked, looking up at the large red dragon who nodded.

‘Everytime I try to turn back-’ Kai was cut off once his form suddenly shrunk, leaving him standing on all fours still in his half dragon form.

“Would you look at that.” Kai says as he stood on his back legs, looking at his hands.

Fingers! How he’s missed them.

‘And all it took is for you to stop pushing it.’ Garmadon says dryly and Kai shot a pouty look to his adoptive dragon dad.

“Let’s see if I-” Kai cut himself off as he frowned. “Oh. Um.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying harder.

“What’s wrong Kai?” Cole asked, confused and Kai looked at his fists then up at his fellow ninja.

“Looks like this is as far back to human as I can go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, now we can do timeskip. I was actually gonna get rid of Tempest (big thanks to my resident duck friend for the name suggestion and my resident rat bestie for all the other names) but like, I like him too much to completely get rid of him. So having him pop up from time to time is good. Also the reason why Tempest ended up feeling the need to learn how to fly was because of Jay if you haven't picked it up. And lastly; a names list.
> 
> Dragon!Lloyd: Green Bean/ Greenie to mess with him  
Split personality Jay: Tempest  
Dragon!Jay: Wisp  
Dragon!Cole: Rocky  
Dragon!Zane: Shard  
Dragon!Nya: Mist  
Big Dragon!Garmadon: Dad (written as just Garmadon as well)  
Little Dragon!Garmadon: Little G  
Oni!Garmadon: Lord Garmadon
> 
> The Wus remain the same. Dragon!Wu is simply Wu and Sensei Wu is Sensei Wu.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

"Any luck yet Sensei?" Lloyd asked from the bridge of the Bounty, watching Little G eat his fill from the small bowl of wild berries in his palm, the others next to him.

"Yes and no." Sensei Wu admits, something akin to frustration in his slitted golden eyes. "I managed to get closer this time but your father is a slippery man who insists on not being found. He has taken traveler's tea to leave the realm so I must follow him." He told them, shifting the view of the device to the sight of the small camp with an empty teapot there, the outed campfire still burning.

"I will still have to figure out just which realm he escaped to but there are only so many he's willing to visit. I may be unable to contact you all for some time longer." He forewarned them.

"That's cool Sensei. Everything's pretty chill on our side still. Nothing too major has come up and our tech team is getting closer to figuring out how the device works." Cole says as he glanced at Zane, Nya, Pixal and Jay close by.

"Indeed." Zane nodded at the screen showing their Sensei. "We've already learned how to turn it on and off but we're getting closer to figuring out how to activate its interface." He reported.

"That's good. Having a direct line to Vortica will prove to be most helpful." Sensei Wu nodded then looked to Kai who was a little jittery if his shifting wings and flicking tail wasn't enough indication. "Is something the matter Kai?" He asked him and Kai blinked then shrugged.

"Nothing's actually wrong but…" He says then grinned. "Wu and I will be checking the Dragon Dimension today. We hit the 2 month mark since the dragons left so we're gonna see how things are doing. We aren't expecting much progress so quickly, even though 5 years have passed there, but we're looking for small signs that the planet is recovering." He told them.

“It won’t be in its best shape but… I’ve missed the place, you know?” He added with a shrug and the others could relate.

They haven’t been there for long but it really was beautiful.

"I see. Be careful however. Extinction usually brings forward evolution in both animals and plants alike." Wu warned him and Kai nodded.

"I will be. We'll let you know the news of what's up next time we chat." He promised and Wu nodded.

"Then I will contact you once I am able to." He promised them.

With that, their conversation ended with well wishes and goodbyes.

“This infernal device is highly frustrating.” Pixal says glaring at the small device she held in hand.

“But it’ss pretty fun to sssolve! It’ss kinda like a rubix cube!” Jay grinned, taking it and looking it over, his flicking tail almost tripping both Zane and Cole, all of them used to he and Lloyd’s tails to know to stand clear of the area behind them.

It took a lot of adaption to work around their individual changes, especially both Jay and Kai’s changes as theirs was permanent. It didn’t bother either of them much anymore- Kai didn’t have a problem with, too used to it as he was- but there were days when they did miss being human and on days like that, their much bigger family was there for them.

“Are you ready Kai?” Wu asked, looking down at the team’s ship from where he sat near by.

Somewhere in the past week, they began being able to speak like them. Zane knew better than to question how they were able to what with the structure of their mouths. Pixal knew better not to as well, not after almost short circuiting trying to figure out how Zane too got the ability to shift. Both Nindroids decided to call it magic and left it at that.

“Yeah.” Kai says as he walked over to the edge of the ship, pulling out the dimensional crystal.

“Don’t forget the camera so we can keep track of the planet’s progress.” Nya called and he turned around catching it with his tail.

“Thanks sis. I’ll get all the footage you guys need.” He grinned then hopped over the edge of the ship, using his wings to catch him.

“You guys sure you don’t need us to come along?” Lloydie asked, stepping forward from where he and the others stood.

“Nah. It’s just a quick in and out. We won’t be more than 5 minutes tops.” Kai reassured.

“Just make sure to stick close to my father.” Morro cautioned and Kai smiled, flying over to stroke his snout, bumping his forehead against his.

“Don’t worry Mor-bro. We’ll be fine.” He reassured and Morro wasn’t ready to admit he needed the reassurance.

He knew their world was in a bad state, knew it was dangerous to go as they weren’t even sure what the oxygen levels were like right now and with both Kai and his father going there… He blinked once Kai held the crystal out to him.

“Why don’t you send us off huh?” He grinned and Morro blinked at the pink gem then balanced on his hind leg and accepted it, the crystal tiny in his paw but he picked it up between his claws and glanced at Kai as he flew back to where his father was. “Just hold it up and it’ll do the rest- but make sure not to do it twice or else the portal will close.” Kai warned and Morro nodded before holding up the crystal as instructed, a large portal opening up close to the two as he did.

“Sit tight. We’ll be back in a jif.” Kai winked before he flew in as Wu walked through.

The first thing Kai noticed once he stepped through was that the sun was setting- which was good since the air was uncharastically hot. That combined with the obvious decline in air quality made it a little difficult to breathe. He glanced up at Wu as the dragon looked around at what once was a lush, bountiful planet, now reduced to desolence, nothing but broken and dead trees standing around the base of the mountain they called home. The sky held a noticeably redder colour and it was quiet. So uncharastically quiet. Kai turned the camera on, moving forward still, looking for any signs of life thriving here. There were bones of animals passed, decomposing still and fungi. Well. At least they were clear signs of life.

“We won’t be able to ascend the mountain. The air gets thinner the higher you go and it’s already difficult to breathe at sea level.” Wu spoke up as he too walked around, keeping his pace slow and his breathing even.

He couldn’t afford to get even slightly winded. As a dragon of his size, his lungs demand a large amount of oxygen with each inhale, amounts that the planet could no longer satisfy. He couldn’t stay for very long still, else he collapses from oxygen deprivation. But their future depends on any signs of life. Fungi was a good start but he was hoping that more complex life survived the decline in the planet’s environment. If not, then they would be in Ninjago for far longer than he originally thought.

“Nothing. Maybe we should try in a different area? This is still kinda on a slope so maybe if we head to flatter land…” Kai suggested, turning to Wu.

“Perhaps.” Wu says in consideration. “However-” He was cut off by a cough that quickly descended into a coughing fit.

“Wu!” Kai yelled, alarmed as he flew over.

“I’m… Afraid I cannot… Stay any longer here…” He rasped, barely able to prevent himself from coughing further.

“Then go back!” Kai urged, looking back to the portal and he nods, heading towards it. “I wanna look around for a minute longer but I won’t go far.” He told Wu as he paused to see if he was coming.

“... Be careful.” He warns and Kai nodded, watching as he returned to his world.

Kai looked up, the moons, rings and stars in the night sky holding a reddish tint from the oxygen deprived atmosphere before he looked around again, hoping for even the softest glow of an insect but finding none still. He sighed, turning the camera towards himself from where he had still been filming.

“Five years past here and no signs of complex life. I’d look around a bit longer but it’s not exactly easy to breathe here, despite my body needing less oxygen than the dragon’s. It’s dark but it’s still pretty hot out and the air is thick and heavy. Maybe things will be in better shape after five more years. We could probably even check different locations then.” Kai shrugged at the camera recording him. “Might as well head back now.” He says quietly, looking at the reflective lens before he frowned, spotting something strange.

He glanced back and up, looking at the sky suspiciously. Strange. He could have sworn he saw some kind of light- It flickered in again, growing brighter and larger this time. Kai’s eyes widened at the familiarity of the phenomenon in the sky. No way… He turned the camera towards it without much more thought, on the defense as he narrowed his eyes at the swirling multicoloured vortex above. Suddenly, two figures came tumbling out and Kai’s eyes widened before he darted forward, dropping the camera and catching one- then two, before they could hit the ground. Oh man were they heavy! A small sound from one of the two figures caught his attention and he really looked at them.

“Oh boy.” Was all he could think to say.

Wasn’t this a situation.

Outside the portal, Morro was fussing over his winded father, creating a gentle but oxygen filled airflow around his head as he caught his breath.

“Kai’s still in there. What’s taking him so long?” Cole says with a frown, wings out and opened, ready to perform a rescue mission if he must.

“If he doesn’t come out in the next minute or two then we go in.” Lloyd says, looking across at Cole and he nodded.

You better be ok Kai…

____

“Ugh!” Pixal growled in frustration.

“I agree! This is hopeless! Almost two months and we’re hardly any close to figuring this thing out!” Nya yells, resisting the urge to throw it down to instead place it on the table.

“I feared we wouldn’t be able to uncover the mysteries of this advanced technology. It appears this is becoming reality.” Zane says with a tone of frustration as well.

“I don’t know guyss, maybe we’re overthinking thingss.” Jay spoke up and they looked at him, both parts unimpressed and curious.

“Have you even interacted with this device? I think overthinking is quite necessary.” Pixal pointed out.

“No no.” Tempest says as he took over, Jay on the back burner. “I think Jay’ss got a point. Doess Vortica ssseem like the type of persson to use anything overly complicated? Doesn’t matter if complicated is within her knowledge basse, I think ssshe’d use sssomething that only takess a touch or two to activate.” He says as he used his tail to pick it up and bring it closer.

“Maybe turn it on then swipe?” Tempest mumbled as he did so, sliding his thumb against a pink panel before he blinked once a holoscreen and keyboard popped up, an image of Vortica sticking her tongue out at the top, making it clear this was a messaging interface.

Tempest smirked at the surprised, borderline angry looks both Nindroids and Nya wore, Jay yelling up a storm in the front of his mind.

“Well. I’ll be damned. Looks like the mystery is solved at lasst.” Tempest huffed.

____

“Alright. Let’s go in.” Lloyd says as he walked forward, Cole on his tail.

Before they could get any closer however Kai walked through the portal, struggling with the weight of the figures in his arms.

“Is that-” Blaze says with wide eyes as he and the others walked over.

“They are…” Wisp whispered, not sure if he should go on the defense or assist.

“Well. There’s two faces I never expected to see again. Especially like this.” Mist spoke up as Morro closed the portal.

“... Indeed…” Was Wu’s contemplative hum.

Perhaps… This was for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying for updates every 2 days now for this fic. Also I cannot write the name Green Bean/Greenie and take it seriously so I updated Dragon!Lloyd's name to just Lloydie. They still call him Greenie and he's still annoyed by it but that's kinda in the background. Can you guess who came through the portal? ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

“I have to admit, they are adorable.” Jay grinned as he poked the soft stomach of the gun metal grey baby dragon with a strip of green and blue down both his sides, said dragon with reflective silvery eyes giving a low coo, his paw holding onto his hand.

“It’s good that you had stayed longer in our world Kai, else a most tragic fate would have befallen them.” Garmadon rumbled as he watched Kai struggle with the second of the two baby dragons, with maroon and amber stripes running down the sides of his body.

“Are their tales the same?” Zane questioned, looking to Wu. “Sensei Wu had told us that Acronix and Krux thought they could take over Ninjago because of their great power over time.” He told him and the large dragon nodded.

“They believed that since they controlled time, they could control all of Nindrago. But despite their great power, they were no match for all of us. When they had failed against us they sought to travel into the past with their combined powers to change the strings of faith, to destroy my brother and I before we gained the wisdom of age and before we understood our power. Before they could escape through the rift in time they made however, my brother and I managed to use the Kronos Steel our metal dragons had painstakingly prepared to take the time stop power from the older twin, leaving them without navigation, spiraling through space and time.” Wu told them, watching as the older twin hissed and fussed in Kai’s arms, trying to escape him. “We had no idea when they’d appear or if they ever would. Until then, we’ve kept the time stop power locked away safely so if they were to return, they would have no means to retrieve it.” He says, looking back to Zane.

“But this is an opportunity.” Garmadon spoke up, walking over to Kai, tilting the head of Krux up towards him as he hissed at him. “Perhaps, with new guidance as they grow again to adulthood, they will have a change in heart. Perhaps they will use their powers to protect, not to seize.” He rumbled.

“Could you just- sit still!” Kai growled as Krux kept squirming and scratching at him, trying to get out of his arms.

He was pretty big, despite obviously being a baby dragon, coming up to Kai’s upper thighs as he did. Krux only hissed at him and squirmed around more.

“Maybe he’s just restless.” Cole says as he reached out and took the dragon in arms, unphased by his hissing and squirming.

He then set him down, chuckling once he stumbled on unsteady feet before falling on his stomach.

“Come on Krux, you can do it!” Cole encouraged and the dragonling growled at him before struggling for a while, trying to figure out his body.

His wings were uncharacteristically floppy for a dragon but that made sense as he’s still too young to fly- or even know how to fold them. After a minute or so, Krux finally figured out how to stand without falling over, looking triumphant as he did.

“Good job bud!” Cole praised then held out a handful of berries he always kept in pocket for snacking as a reward.

Kruz blinked at the colourful berries before taking a careful step forward to sniff at them. He then ate them quickly, surprising Cole.

“Must be hungry too. I’d be grumpy too.” He says then looked to Garmadon and Wu. “What do baby dragons eat?” He asked them as Krux licked at his hand, pulling back before his sharp baby teeth could bite him.

“Usually fish, plants and soft animals as their teeth are not yet developed for animals and foods with thicker hides.” Garmadon helpfully supplied.

“There we go. Don’t worry Kai, I’ll help you take care of them.” Cole says as he picked Krux up again, the dragonling no longer squirming about but he certainly didn’t look happy.

“Me?! Why do I gotta take care of these guys?! In my world, he kidnapped my parents!” Kai yelled.

“In your world, yes.” Wu spoke as he stood, Morro hovering nearby, anxious and paranoid. “But these two are not of your world and they do not inherit the crimes of their alternate selves. It will take all of us, each and every one of this Thunder to raise these two in the light of forgiveness and second chances. We all need to give them a clean slate to begin again on, to make them feel at home and welcomed. Just one of us holding ill feelings against them may turn them down the wrong path yet again.” He warned, looking around at the small gathering.

“He’ss too cute to ssstay mad at.” Jay cooed, booping the tip of Acronix’s nose, grinning once the baby dragon tried to lick his finger.

“Well, they aren’t our Acronix and Krux so I have no problem with them.” Nya shrugged and Kai looked at her surprised before he frowned, looking down.

Wu’s right. He wasn’t their Krux and Acronix. They were literal kids now too. He couldn’t hold it against them. He sighed softly then nodded as he got up. He could do this. And it’s like Jay says, they’re too cute to be mad at.

“I’ll grab some fish.” He announced.

“Little G and I will scout out some more berries since  _ someone  _ ate them all.” Lloyd says, narrowing his eyes at Cole and Rocky who looked at him wide eyed and innocently.

“Zane, Pixal and I will work on setting up some blueprints for updating the Bounty while you boys babysit.” Nya says as she gestured to the others.

“Vortica just responded to the test message.” Zane says as he pulled up the message log.

‘Did it really take you two months to figure it out? Huh. Maybe you aren’t as smart as I thought.’

“What! She didn’t even leave instructions that little-”

“No yelling around the kids!” Jay cut Nya off, holding Acronix over his shoulder, the young dragon blinking at her with wide eyes.

“Isn’t he heavy?” Kai asked Jay with an arched brow.

“Yeah but he’ss too cute to put down.” Jay says, firmly hugging the baby dragon. “Let’ss go check out your new home Nix!” He grinned, walking towards the tower visible above the thick brush of trees, it’s head in the clouds.

Acronix only chirped, his tail wagging quickly. He clearly had no idea what Jay just said but was excited nonetheless. Kai placed a hand on his hip. Was Acronix always so easy to get along with?

“Hurry up and get going you. Rux will get grumpy again.” Cole says, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Right- Rux?” Kai asked with an arched brow.

“Calling him Krux feels weird. Just go already.” Cole huffed and Kai chuckled but spread his wings and took off.

_______

“No napping yet Nix, you gotta eat first.” Cole says as he reached across to poke the dragon’s nose, chuckling as he snorted, giving a displeased sound.

“Kai! Took you long enough!” Jay called once Kai flew in with a net full of fish.

“Sorry. I met up with some other fire dragons at the river is all.” Kai says as he flew over then dropped them before the duo. “They’re kinda uneasy about the whole Acronix and Krux business but they’re willing to give them a second chance at least.” He explained as he opened the net but instead of handing them the fish, he sat down and began cleaning them up, removing the bones, scales and head with his sharp claws.

“We’re here too.” Lloydie says as he, Lloyd and Rocky walked over. “We managed to get a bunch of fruits he thinks baby dragons might like.” He says as he lowered a wing so Lloyd could slide off with the bag filled with fruits.

It’s amazing the Labyrinth could keep up with so many dragons really but they might have to leave the area to forage come winter time in a few months.

“Nice!” Jay grinned then accepted the cleaned fish from Kai. “Open up Nix…” He says, holding up the fish for him and Acronix sniffed at it before he grabbed it with his teeth, eating it in two bites.

“Wow. He really iss hungry.” Jay says as Acronix began releasing yipping sounds.

“He’s asking for more.” Garmadon rumbled from over them, the large dragon monitoring them to make sure they were doing things right.

He was the only one of everyone on this level to actually raise a dragon from egg to current after all. Wu found Morro when he was mostly independent and had helped Garmadon raise Lloydie, yes but he didn’t have the full experience.

“Here you are then Nix.” Jay says, feeding him another while Cole did the same with Krux, careful when he decides to snap his jaws at his fingers.

“You’re a little menace, aren’t you?” Cole huffed, reaching for a peach from the sack of fruit and berries Lloyd set down then slit it open with his thumb claw to take out the seed before he fed half to him.

“He reminds me of Lloydie.” Morro rumbled as he padded over, Wu feigning sleep not too far away to escape his fussy son. “He bit my tail once as a kid and it hurt for weeks. I was convinced he was an Oni’s child.” He huffed and Lloydie swatted him with a wing.

“I wasn’t that bad.” He huffed then stuck his tongue out at his cousin.

“Oh you were.” Garmadon chuckles and Lloydie looked up at him with betrayed green eyes. “You were quite the biter. Much worse you had needle sharp teeth that deliver painful bites. But you were my little teething son and I love you all the same.” He hummed as he lowered his head to nuzzle his son, Lloyie purring as he did.

“So we’re kinda parentss now, aren’t we?” Jay as he took the other peach half to feed Acronix, smiling once he licked at it instead of eating it. “Eat. Like thiss.” He told him as he pretended to eat it then held it back to his snout.

Acronix looked at him then back at the peach and bit into it like he showed him and began eagerly eating the rest.

“Well it’s something to do. Ninjago’s been pretty quiet lately- and I’m totally glad for that- but we’ve had nothing much to do other than fly around, socialize with the other dragons and watch you guys struggle to figure out how that device worked.” Cole shrugged, letting Kai feed Krux the other fish.

“Raising a young dragon is easier said than done.” Garmadon warned them. “We have the metal dragons working on more Kronos Steel to take Acronix’s time forward powers but Kronos Steel is not easy to make so it will be some time before they can make more. By then, they will start using the abilities they have left and when they do…” He left the rest to their imagination.

“Oh boy.” Lloyd breathed out, grimacing at the idea of two baby dragons on the loose, wielding time rewind and slow down powers.

“Not to mention they’ll start to roam…” Rocky murmured and all eyes turned to Lloydie.

“What?” He asked, looking around at them.

“Look.” Jay grinned as Acronix waddled his way out of his arms, stumbling then walking awkwardly towards his brother.

Cole let Krux go and Acronix butted his head against his brother then laid down, yawning. Krux shifted closer, resting his head on his brother’s body, yawning too, both of them drifting off, Acronix doing so with his tongue out.

“That’s illegally cute.” Cole had to admit, heart melting at the sight of them.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad…” Kai says with a small smile, looking at the two.

“Don’t count your prey before you catch them.” Morro huffed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you guys tell that Acronix is my favorite twin? Anyway! Baby dragon arc! I couldn't pass up on writing baby dragons in this fic ok so I took my chance. I can't say for sure how long their tale will take but I know I'll have fun writing it. After that then the wrap up arc and that'll be that for the series! Might start a mini series with small stories about this but who knows.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

“Lookss like even this version of Acronix likess tech.” Jay chuckled, the baby dragon staring at the screen of his hand held game with wide, reflective eyes.

“And this version of Krux still hates it.” Kai says drily, holding his phone up high using his tail so the hissing little runt can’t continue trying to chew it to bits. “How much longer until they’d need him?” He asked Jay as he pushed at buttons quickly on his game, the smaller dragon completely enraptured.

“They’ll want him any ssecond now.” Jay spoke quieter, the tip of his long, horned tail thumping the ground as he focused on what appeared to be a hard level. “You sure you can manage to disstract him while they’re gone? He doesn’t like being out of sight of his brother and Cole’s still gone with Lloyd and Nya to New Ninjago City so he can’t use his magic touch with kids- and baby dragons.” He reminded, looking up at Kai with slitted blue eyes and Kai nodded, plucking Rux off of him, the latter trying to dig his claws in his scales to climb him.

“I’ll take him out on a flight. That should keep him distracted until they’re done. It’s not a long process after all.” Kai murmured as he kept his hand out of reach of Rux’s small but sharp teeth. He already learned the hard way that while they can’t bite through his scales, his little teeth were perfect for getting around them. “You’re getting better with your S’s though.” He praised and Jay shot him a fanged grin.

“I just gotta keep working around thesse teeth with thiss tongue.” Jay says as he paused his game to prod at his long, thick fangs then used a slender, forked tongue to lick at one. “I mean, if Pythor figured it out, so can I.” He grinned then laughed once Nix gave a protesting sound, tentatively reaching out to grasp the device Jay yelled.

They were starting to learn how to hold things with their paws now and learning how to sit with just their hind legs and tails as support. With the majority of the company they have being human- or somewhat human-, it was natural for them to begin trying to copy them. Both Kai and Jay sensed as someone approached them then turned around to see both elders as they approached. Looks like it’s time.

“Alright.” Kai grunted as he set Rux down then stood with a stretch. “You me, some air time.” He says, placing both hands on his hips as he set down his phone with his tail.

Before the small gray dragon could dart after the phone, Kai shifted, leaning forward to land on his front paws. Rux stared up at him with large reflective eyes, never seeing Kai shift before. Sure Kai had interacted with the dragons in both forms to make sure they were used to both, but he’s never had a reason or chance to shift before them until now. He scooped Rux up in his paw, the latter barely even taking up much space there. He had to be careful with him. With that, he spread his wings and took off, able to tell with the delighted sound Rux made, that he already enjoyed flying. Looks like distracting him really wasn’t that hard of a task.

On the ground, Jay pocketed the game to Nix’s displeasure and picked the even heavier dragon up as he turned to the elders. Jay hesitated.

“It won’t hurt him, right?” He had to ask, looking down at Nix as he looked up at both elders with large, mirror-like eyes.

“Not at all.” Wu reassured him.

“It is a quick and painless process. He hasn’t awoken his powers as yet so he won’t even feel it.” Garmadad nodded and Jay nodded too, allowing them to escort him to the awaiting dragons. 

_______

“Uh.” Cole says as he blinked at the villain they were supposed to take down for robbing a bank.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Lloyd couldn’t help but say as Nya grimaced.

“How did they let this guy rob a bank?” Nya asked as they looked at the villain Fugi-dove as he attempted to make some nearby pigeons attack them.

“Oh come on! Please? They’re right there! Just- at least fly off!” Fugi-dove begged, using the large wings he had attached to his arms to try and rile them up but the pigeons continued to ignore his existence.

“I put on make-up… for this…” Lloyd says with an undertone of anger in his annoyed voice, all of his visible skin covered in makeup to hide his oni nature.

“We told you there was no need.” Cole reminded. “ No matter how you look, you’re still the green ninja who saved this city more times than we can count.” He told him as Nya gathered water from a nearby fountain and captured the culprit in it, leaving his head out as he fought and squirmed against it.

“Cole’s right you know.” Nya says as she walked over and picked up the bag of money Fugi-dove dropped. “You’ve been telling Jay he should accept the way he looks. Maybe it’s time you take a page out of your own book.” She smiled a little, looking across at him.

“It’s not like that, really.” Lloyd told them as they waited for the police to show up.

Both Nya and Cole rose a brow at him.

“Ok, maybe just a smidgen- but we haven’t even told the city about the dragons- or our appearance change. If we just randomly show up as half dragon and half dragon and oni, we might stir up panic.” He reasoned as Little G poked his head out from under his hood, some of the makeup on his shiny scales.

“He has a point.” Cole shrugged, looking across at Nya.

“We should at least notify the city of the whole half dragon shifting thing, though it’ll be good to know if the change is permanent or not.” Nya says, looking down at her gloved hands.

“What do you mean? Isn’t it?” Cole asked as the sound of sirens grew closer. “Kai’s was permanent.” He pointed out.

“No, that was because of the scales the dragons gave him.” Lloyd reminded them.

“Scales?” Nya blinked but then remembered the colourful necklace of scales Kai had first returned with after spending his first week in their dimension. “What did happen to those scales?” She asked, thoughtfully.

“We’ll ask him when we get back. We’ll figure out what to tell the city then too.” Lloyd told them and they nodded, turning to the chief of police as he came out of his car, a few other police with him too.

_______

Jay played his game again though a bit nervously, the entire Dragon colony watching him as he kept Nix distracted as Garmadon accepted a large, metal construct that looked just like a time blade- but way bigger. He walked forward to Jay and he blinked once he set it down around him, leaving both he and Nix in the middle.

“U-uh, this won’t take my powers… Right?” He asked anxiously, his tail flicking nervously.

“Correct. Kronos Steel is designed to only contain the powers of time.” Wu rumbled quietly as Garmadon stepped back.

Jay blinked once Nix began to glow green, the dragonling’s eyes still glued to the screen of his game even as Jay stopped playing. He watched as the green energy of his time forward powers began leaving him, the metallic blades in the sides of the device beginning to glow with it. The last of Nix’s glow was absorbed by the time blade, leaving the green streak down the right side of his body to go dark. With that, Garmadad removed the blade that fit his paw well.

“There is only one place we can ensure its safety.” Wu says and Garmadad nods, knowing that as well.

“Getting it there will be a dangerous task.” He whispered but knew it had to be done.

“They will be careful. Morro must go with them.” Wu told him and Garmadad gave a slow sigh before he nodded.

Their former home high up on the mountain, once the safest place for dragons, was now the most dangerous. But already, it held and protected the time stop power.

_______

‘You sure like flying, huh?’ Kai rumbled as he glanced down at Rux in his paws the young dragon’s reflective eyes wide open and filled with wonder at the world around him.

It didn’t matter that Kai’s only been looping around a small space above Hiroshi’s Labyrinth. He was enraptured it appears. Kai was sure he could head back now but… He spotted their usual river for fishing before grunting and descending to a hover by its bank, displeasing the dragonling.

‘Calm down. I’m only fetching us a snack.’ Kai huffed through his nose then looked over the water. 

With the sun keeping his shadow behind him, fishing should be easier now. He eyed the river, eyed the fish loitering in a deeper section of it before he marked his prey. He beat his wings, swooping low and extending his hind legs. With a loud splash, he pulled two large fish out of the water, both trapped in his clawed back paws. He dropped them on the shore, far from the river then landed. He then set Rux down before he shifted into his smaller half dragon form, snorting once he watched Rux warily approach the flopping fish. The one closest to him stopped flopping and he reached a paw out to touch it- only to release a startled cry once it flopped towards him. Kai laughed once he dashed towards him, under his wing to hide.

“It’s alright bud. It can’t hurt you.” Kai spoke low, lifting his wing a little so he could look at the wary dragonling. “Come ‘ere.” He says as he pulled him out and Rux squirmed in his arms, wanting to hide again.

“They take a sec to stop flopping around but here’s a faster way.” Kai says, setting him down before dropping on all fours.

He then aimed for the head of the fish and bit into it, sitting back on all fours still as he chewed, the fish half out of his mouth. Rux blinked up at him as he chewed then glanced at the other gasping fish. He mustered up some courage and moved forward slowly, flinching once it started to flop again. Rux growled then and pounced, biting into its side, struggling for a bit as it wiggled in his mouth, Kai laughing around his own snack as he did. It took Rux three limbs to pin the fish down, Kai having a whale of a time watching him.

“Will you eat it with the scales?” Kai asked as he padded over on all fours, spitting out the spiny tail of the fish he ate.

He then face palmed, remembering that he was pretty much a toddler in human standards who had no idea what he was saying. He received his answer anyway once Rux managed to get a bite out of the fish, settling down with both front paws and a hind one on the fish as a just in case as he ate into its soft middle. Kai laid down on his stomach next to him, letting him eat as he kept an eye and an ear out. Dragons may be the new apex predator of the Labyrinth but Rux was still small and snack sized for most of the predators here. After a while, he heard a low but clear call. A familiar one he recalled his dragon father using when he first stumbled into their dimension. Time to head home it seems. Kai shifted again, returning the call before he checked on Rux. He was amused to see him half asleep, still holding down the fish that had almost all of its middle eaten. Looks like a flight and a snack is the key to getting him to sleep. He wished he figured that out before he had to spend several nights awake, trying to get the whiny dragonling to sleep.

He gathered him up in his paws again, huffing in amusement as he perked up again, excited to be flying. He’ll be even more of a handful once he learns to fly on his own...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot I didn't mention here that I'd be taking a bit of a break because of the whole virus causing pandemonium. Oop.
> 
> Well, I'm back on my usual updating this every two days agenda. I swear I have a reason for bringing in baby Acronix and Krux, other than the sake of baby dragons. I need em for both Garmadon and Cole's plot line. They also help out with everyone else's. I'm trying not to drag things out too much, because as cute and fun as this all is, it'll lose purpose if I let it do whatever. Also writing Jay's lines with all the extra S's suck so I'm slowly integrating them out. I wanted this fic to be like, 30 chapters max. I know I won't be able to keep it there because the final arc I have planned is gonna be p big so I'm extending it to at least 40. Here's to hopefully finishing this by or in May!
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


	18. Chapter 18

“Team meeting!” Lloyd called out once they returned from New Ninjago City.

“What’s going on?” Zane asked as he walked towards the edge of the bridge, sliding his welding mask up.

“We gotta talk about what to tell the public and then some.” Nya told him then allowed her wings to slip out through the slits in the back of her gi so she could use them as a boost to get up on the ship. “How are the upgrades on the mainframe coming along?” She asked.

“Pixal finished them just moments ago. I’ve moved onto upgrading and reinforcing the wheel of the ship.” He informed her, gesturing to the inside for her to take a look.

“I’ll get Kai and Jay.” Cole told Lloyd, unfurling his own wings and tail once he got the go ahead, taking flight to the large tower.

He spiraled around it to the top and landed inside, finding the area pretty much empty, save for Garmadad, Kai, Jay and the sleeping twins.

“Where’s everyone else?” Cole asked as he walked in.

“They’re doing rounds. Turnss out they have other things to do than hanging out with uss all day. They gotta patrol and keep the peace among the other dragonss. They’re also gonna hang out for a while with just them.” Jay shrugged, not at all bothered by it.

Hanging out with them was cool and all but time with your original friends is also good.

“Oh. Well, at least these two are asleep. It is around their nap time…” Cole murmured as he looked outside to gauge the time.

“How was the mission?” Kai asked as he fiddled around on his phone.

“Nothing serious but we have a team meeting to get to. We’ve put off a couple things long enough.” Cole told them and both half serpentine and half dragon could immediately think of a few things they should probably address.

“Do you mind watching them for a while?” Jay asked Garmadad, turning around to look at the elder dragon as he sat in contemplation.

“Not at all.” He says after a moment, rising on all fours and walking closer.

“Something’s on your mind though.” Kai pointed out, knowing his dragon father well enough by now.

“Yes, there is. However, that can be discussed after you’ve discussed what your teammates.” Garmadad rumbled as Kai and Jay got up, giving him more room to curl himself protectively around the dragonlings, draping a large wing over them for warmth.

“Alright. We’ll be back in a bit.” Kai murmured, butting his head against his large paw then chuckling once he was nuzzled.

He made sure to give both Jay and Cole a departing nuzzle as well, Jay leaving a little blue under the scales once he actually ended up purring. A short glide later and the other half of the team was on site, Pixal included.

“Before we get started, I wanna try out the retraction system we have for the masts on the ship and the support we added to the deck.” Nya called out from the bridge then pressed a large blue button on the control panel.

The group watched in awe as the sails of the ship retracted into the masts and the masts themselves began to retract into the deck, the railings around the edge of the ship also following, leaving the space completely clear ad flat

“Kai! Try landing on the deck- carefully!” Zane called out and Kai blinked before he flew up and shifted into his much larger dragon form.

He then flew over to and hovered over the ship before slowly setting himself down. Here’s to hoping he doesn’t completely wreck the ship. Sure the Land Bounty was now a thing as Pixal finished it- and a few others- while they were out doing dragon business but the ship has been destroyed almost every other couple of months. He placed a paw down hesitantly, then another, then all four before he slowly set down all of his weight, surprising him when the deck didn’t give out below me.

“Awesome! The support is holding up. That’s good.” Nya grinned.

“This is only a means of emergency however. While you are on the ship like this, the ship cannot fly- or float as you are too heavy.” Pixal called out in warning and he carefully turned around to test it.

He could just barely hold but it was pretty cool.

“Oh. So that’s where those scales went.” Lloyd spoke up as he looked up at Kai’s chest area that sported 7 different coloured scales in the same pattern a necklace would be.

One red scale- no doubt belonging to Blaze- appeared redder than Kai’s normal scales but that was more due to the fact that the scales on Kai’s underbelly were a paler red than the rest of him.

“Huh, ok.” Cole says as he blinked up at them.

“So they just- became his scales instead?” Jay asked, a little confused on how that worked.

Kai looked down at them in confusion before he shifted back to his smaller form, Pixal taking that as her cue to bring up the masts and railings again.

“What are you guys talking about?” Kai asked as they flew up, landing on the deck around him.

“The scales other us gave you. They’re kinda apart of you. Literally.” Lloyd pointed out and Kai immediately placed a hand over his chest before looking down.

The scales were in fact, nestled into his scales as if they were his own, despite them being much bigger than his normal scales like this. No doubt Garmadad’s and Wu’s were still rather large in his other form. He honestly never noticed. He does have a habit of reaching there to stroke one but he somehow never noticed that they were quite literally embedded into his flesh now. Not that he minded. This just meant he’d literally always have a part of them with him. In fact, it was kinda cool.

“Ok, one mystery solved. Now let’s get right into things.” Cole says as Nya, Zane and Pixal came down from the bridge.

“First, we won’t always have a situation where half the team or less have to go to the city, and half the team don’t exactly look like they used to. It’s not a bad thing before you guys start spiraling. It’s just that it seems like a good idea to let the city know what to expect before we all show up as creatures from a different dimension.” Nya pointed out.

“That and we have no clue how permanent these changes are. I mean, Kai’s wasn’t exactly permanent. Only the eyes were. Every other time until around when the dragons ended up in Ninjago, he used their scales to shift. Should we tell the city it’s permanent or not?” Cole asked, looking amongst their team.

“And we haven’t told all of Ninjago about the dragons either.” Lloyd reminded.

“We really should tell them about the dragons. I mean, Hiroshi’s Labyrinth might be pretty huge but it’s relatively small on a dragon’s scale. The dragons are getting restless to fly further out. They try to hide it but let’s be honest, they weren’t meant to be confined to a specific area. They haven’t been able to fly over the Endless Sea because of fishermen and they certainly under no circumstances cannot go to the Dark Island to do their flying.” Kai pointed out.

“But if they leave Hiroshi’s Labyrinth for long, they’ll sstart turning human.” Jay pointed out.

“Which is why they won’t.” Zane followed up. “Needing more airspace doesn’t mean they need somewhere else to settle down or linger. We used to take care of dragons and we all know how stir crazy they get if we don’t take them out for long flights.” He reminded them.

“Ninjago is familiar with dragons, as you all made them familiar to them. They are most likely not going to have a problem with dragons occasionally flying overhead so that is the least of our concerns.” Pixal told them. “What we should focus on is your appearances. Jay’s is explainable and understandable. That and the fact that Ninjago has been getting along with Serpentine kind will put him in the clear. Kai’s and the rest of you will cause for some curiosity but Lloyd’s... Might cause panic.” She admitted.

“Yeah, I saw that coming…” Lloyd sighed, looking down at his clawed hands. “I can’t even hide it anymore…” He mumbled even quieter but they all heard.

“None of that. You know hiding this side of yourself is dangerous for you so it’s good you can’t do that anymore.” Cole scolded.

“And panic is only initial. We just have to show them you’re still you and  _ not  _ your father.” Zane pointed out.

“And really, what’s the best way to do that than by saving the city?” Kai grinned at him, wrapping an arm around Lloyd’s shoulder, careful of the shiny black dragon resting there.

“But what do we do before then? We can’t just keep Lloyd out of public appearancess until some big bad appears.” Jay pointed out.

“Jay’s got a point. Plus, everyone saw normal Lloyd today because he decided make-up was a good idea.” Nya pointed out and Lloyd gave a sheepish look once they all turned to look at him.

“Sensei Wu wouldn’t want us to lie or anything though…” He reminded them and they all paused to think.

“I suppose coming clean about that might be best. The city might have it’s doubts but it’s like Kai says, once you ultimately end up saving the city, they’ll realise that you’re really you.” Pixal spoke up and the team collectively frowned.

“But why does he have to prove himself after everything he’s already done for Ninjago?” Cole spoke what everyone was thinking.

“It’s-”

“Not fine.” Kai says, cutting Lloyd off. “Look, we call for a sort of public meeting-”

“A press conference-”

“Yeah, that. We let them know what’s up with them and I’ll set fire to the tail of anyone who says anything other than  _ “thanks for letting us know.” _ How about that?” Kai asked, cutting Zane’s correction off as he cracked his knuckles.

“I’m down.” Cole says, rolling his shoulders.

“Guys-”

“Perhaps not physical fire. Words can burn too…” Zane hummed.

“Zane wh-”

“That I can get behind.” Nya grinned.

“Guys!” Lloyd yelled round a disbelieving laugh. “Seriously. It’s fine. We let them know and we keep acting as we normally do. That’s it.” He says with an amused but grateful smile, glad his friends, his family was willing to go this far for him.

“... Alright fine. But I withhold the right to taser anyone who tries to be an assshole.” Jay huffed, a spark of electricity traveling from his horns on his head down to the very last set of horns on his tail.

“As for the permanency of the rest of your change, that answer is largely unknown so also letting them know it’s unknown would be best.” Pixal says as she looked to Zane, Nya and Cole.

“Is that all to discuss?” Zane asked and the team paused to see if that was all they could think of.

“When do we tell the rest of Ninjago?” Cole asked them.

“... As soon as possible, really. We can head back to the city- after we check out our room. We moved it to the front of the ship and moved Sensei Wu into our old room. I mean why did he have the bigger room to begin with?” Nya asked as she urged the others to follow her below deck.

“I dunno. Sensei privilege I guesss.” Jay shrugged as they walked along the short corridor to the room at the end of the hall.

Nya opened the door for them and they awed at the much bigger space- and the much bigger beds! Kai flopped down on his then stretched after wiggling around a bit.

“I can actually fit! This is amazing sis!” Kai grinned as he rolled over on his stomach, his wings folded close.

“Well, I thought it was pretty important since I’ve gotten so used to shifting that… I sometimes shift in my sleep.” Nya shrugged as the others checked out their beds and the storage beneath.

“Same.” Cole admits, flopping back on his bed.

“They’re really comfortable too…” Lloyd mumbled, burying his face into his pillow, Little G curling up his lower half on the pillow nearby, kneading his tiny paws into the material.

“I mean, if we’re doing a room makeover, why not get new bedding?” Nya asked, sitting down on her own bed.

“What about Pixal?” Jay asked, all but melting into his bed.

“I have my own quarters on the ship.” She told them lightly.

Naturally she would, as she was apart of the team, even if she’s been a bit more independent with missions lately.

“I don’t know how to break it to you guys but… I kinda don’t wanna get up.” Kai mumbled, nuzzling into his pillow.

“Same.” Lloyd mumbled from his place with his face buried into his pillow.

Cole and Jay gave a grunt of confirmation and Zane couldn’t hold back a huff of amusement.

“The Bounty is mostly done and she’s been grounded for a while. I suppose we can take her out for a flight…” Nya suggested.

“Indeed.” Pixal nodded with a smile. “Anchors up!” She called as Zane and Nya followed her out, the rest of their team delivering lazy cheers as they went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chappie! I'm inching towards a v important time skip but I wanna address a few things before I suddenly jump ahead. I'll probably make the next chapter longer so the time skip can come up for chapter 20 where we can finally start progressing to the middle end of the fic (I say while knowing that roughly 20 more chapters await us).
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

While the ninja were away, and the dragon team was doing rounds with their kin, a certain Sensei was having difficulty tracking down his brother. He’s passed through three realms following his tracks, getting painfully close but still so frustratingly far. He didn’t understand why his brother chose to run. It was out of character for him to do so, no matter what troubles lay between them. While this version of his brother was different, he was still his brother. He needed to get to him, to talk to him and this realm was his chance. He hasn’t been here in some time. The First Realm. There was no fleeing to another realm here. Second to the Never Realm, the First Realm was one of the most distant of the 16 realms, only claiming second place due to the dragons that inhibit its land and skies. They were the only means of leaving the realm if you got to it. He had to visit and speak to the Firstbourne to have her let the other dragons know not to aid him off the realm, not until he’s spoken with him at the very least.

He looked up once a roar caught his ears, a wind dragon descending in his direction, its body long and serpentine like. He reached a hand out and stroked its muzzle once it did land before him, returning it’s low croon of greeting.

‘I need your help. Could you take me to her?’ He asked it and it looked at him with large silvery eyes.

‘Very well.’ The dragon pulled away from his hand and went airborne. ‘Fly with me. It will please her to know you’ve unbound your inner dragon.’ Wu nodded, expecting as much.

After so long without shifting, it took him a moment to grasp the form of his dragon self, but flying came to him as easily as breathing. The First Realm may be as vast as Ninjago, but it is only a matter of time once he lets the Firstbourne know, until he will finally corner his brother and he can receive answers.

______

‘Come on. What’s a quick flight near the coast? We come here almost every day and there’s no humans around!’ A speed dragon urged as they, along with other dragons hung out at the cliffs at the edge of Hiroshi’s Labyrinth.

‘I dunno. We’re kinda pushing the boundaries by just being here…’ The mind dragon murmured, looking down at the sea below, their waters far calmer than that of their home.

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that they had more than one moon while this world had a single one…

‘He’s right. The elders and the beings- the humans who are so graciously lending us their home gave us this vast, lush forest to live in and even built us a place to rest our head… We should respect their rules and restrictions. It’s this or certain death.’ The green, poison dragon rumbled as she curled up, ready to take a nap.

The speed dragon frowned.

‘Look, that may be all true and we’re all grateful for their kindness, but this is- this is too-’ He struggles a bit for the proper way to express his feelings. ‘Restricting! You all may be fine with it but other speed dragons are getting painfully restless and aggressive because of it! How am I supposed to tell them to stay calm and thankful when I feel the same way!’ He vented, pacing back and forth rather quickly now, the group watching him.

‘It may be fine for the rest of you but we’re not made for this! You all know we’re the natural explorers of our kind! We fly massive stretches of land just to stretch out wings! Stretches of land several times bigger than this! If it hadn’t been for our kind, we would have never found warmer lands for the winters to migrate to, If it hadn’t been for us, we would have never found new feeding grounds or new foods to lead poison dragons to, to test if they’re edible! We would have never found new caving grounds for earth and metal dragons to dig up minerals and metals! We wouldn't be the advanced race we are if it hadn’t been for us! And this is how we’re repaid? By being caged and being told to be grateful!’ He snapped, all out snarling now.

Morro frowned as he listened in from above, his dark green scales camouflaging him in the high treetops. He glanced away as the speed dragon’s friends told him he was being irrational.

No. He had a point. While the entirety of the dragon race was like a massive flock of birds, they only spent roughly half of their time in one place. When winter reaches the Mountain of a Million Heights where the Sacred Temple all dragon kind knew is home, they scatter further south for the duration of it and won’t return until near summer. Every dragon understood that the elders, his father and uncle, were the sons of the First Dragon, that they would protect and lead them, would care and provide for them, understood that their word was law. It was why, despite their best efforts to seem less intimidating, in size and presence, most dragons had a hard time approaching them about anything. It’s why they had the system set up where they chose a head of each kind of dragon to relay information to them, as they were less intimidating.

But now, as the head of speed as he was, to not carry these concerns to neither his father nor uncle… The confinement must be greatly impacting them. Morro pulled his wings closer, his claws dug in the branches . That, and he’s not even sure if there’s much his father and uncle could do. This was not their world, was not their domain in any way. They had no say over these lands. They could try and speak to the ninja of it but even the ninja could not guarantee that they would be received well. Morro’s tail flicked anxiously as he puzzled over a solution. He hadn’t the blood of the First Dragon in him, nor will he ever be the one to lead the dragons, but Lloydie was his family. He’s understood and accepted this all. Family supports family. He would not leave Lloyd to struggle with all of dragon kind alone. He blinked once a blur of whie and red shot off the cliff, his eyes widening as the head of speed flew quickly away from the edge of the cliffs, out of sight in seconds.

The other heads, of poison, mind, shadow and ash stood anxiously at the edge of the cliff, wondering if they should go after him but unwilling to go against the elder’s word. It’s not as if they could catch up with him either. They had no choice but to wait until he returned and hope that one of the elders didn’t swing by. Morro frowned as he too became anxious. In that direction was the island the ninja had absolutely insisted no-dragon goes to, as it was quite literally dark in nature. They bore the risk of becoming corrupted if they come in contact with its natural pools of dark matter or remain in its airspace for long, as it is also in its air- though in trace amounts.

It reminded Morro of the corruption pools in the Cursed Plains of Nindrago. He was lucky enough to never come close to them, as he was naturally of the pools of darkly glowing substances. But he’s seen what happened to animals who had. They became wild and destructive, seeking to destroy everything in sight. More often than not, Morro himself had to take them out while he could, else he ran the risk of being killed. He hadn’t the size nor the intimidation of a normally sized dragon so he had to develop skill. One such skill he discovered, was something only he knew and was most effective with taking out predators that came after him. He had the ability to quite literally steal the air from his target’s lungs and have them suffocate to death. It was morbid… But it was his most effective tool out there… And as long as his hunger wasn’t too great to critically affect his strength, it was a guaranteed means of taking down prey in the off chance he manages to find some.

Morro squeezed his eyes shut against the memories of the past then focused on the horizon, waiting, hoping for the leader of speed’s safe return. It was his fault he had to go through what he had. He had no-one to blame but himself. He blinked then turned towards the sound of very familiar wingbeats approaching. Oh no. That was his father. He must have been searching for him, as he broke away from he and the others some time ago. He looked back to the horizon, spotting the leader of speed also returning then. He’ll be seen by his father and he’d be in trouble. Dragons rarely needed to be punished, as they were peaceful beings. A scolding from his father and uncle was rather effective as well. But for the very few that dared to go against the most important rules the elders had put in place, their punishment was harsh. He wasn’t there for it but he heard a little after he had left the Mountain, a dragon had killed another dragon over a potential mate. Their powers were stripped by his uncle, their wings taken and they were banished to a distant island with no hopes of ever leaving. Considering the state of their world now, no doubt those who had been banished are…

‘Griffin.’ The disappointed rumble of his father snapped him out of his thoughts and he blinked down at the scene below, his father looking down at the speed dragon as he landed, his head hung low, knowing he was in serious trouble, his friends looking at him sympathetically. ‘Have you anything to say for yourself?’ He asked the speed dragon and Morro shifted anxiously.

‘I dared him to do it.’ Morro spoke up and all eyes turned to him, his father glancing at him, his head just barely brushing the canopy of treetops.

He could tell that his father didn’t believe him for even one moment.

‘... Is this true?’ He asked Griffin, looking down at him again and Griffin met Morro’s eyes, confusion in them.

Morro only nodded, letting him know he can take the blame for this. It wasn’t as far fetched as it seemed and they were still rather uncomfortable with him still. Anyone would believe he really did goad him to do so without another thought. Griffin looked away from him and back up at the elder Wu, swallowing as he thought of what to do, what to say. He didn’t get why his son was willing to take the fall for his stupid, rash decision… He shook his head.

‘No. It’s not true.’ He spoke up. ‘I went out there on my own. No-one told me to. The others tried to stop me but I didn’t listen.’ He says, gesturing a white wing to them, the underside and edges baring red.

‘I’ll accept my punishment.’ He rumbled low, hanging his head lower and Wu looked him over.

‘... You will remain in the tower for the rest of today and all of tomorrow to reflect on what you’ve done.’ Wu told him and Griffin blinked, surprised by the rather light sentencing.

He wasn’t about to complain however. 

‘Yes, of course. My apologies.’ He spoke formally before flying off, the other dragons following after him.

“That was noble of you, Morro.” Wu murmured, turning to him and Morro shrugged then flew out of the tree.

“He had some strong points… I wish he had gone to either you or uncle about it though.” Morro told him, nuzzling him lightly.

“What were they?” Wu asked as he settled to lay on his stomach, Morro landing before him and doing the same, preparing himself for a lengthy discussion.

“Well…”

________

“Man it’s hard to find a nice, sunny clearing out here.” Blaze mumbled as he laid on his back in a clearing they had to make by carefully removing a few branches from the trees, not wanting to cut them down.

“Yeah but this works nicely.” Rocky mumbled lazily nearby, the warmth of the sun making him sleepy.

“Agreed…” Wisp hummed, also on his back, his tail flicking back and forth.

“Lloydie’s not back yet?” Shard asked as he lifted his head, blue eyes surveying the area.

“He said he’d be back by now…” Mist says with a troubled expression.

“You guys worry too much.” Lloydie huffed as he walked into the clearing then. “I just grabbed an extra bite is all.” He says as an explanation then shook the remaining drops of water off of himself before he walked over into the clearing and flopped down in an available spot.

“Oh that’s right. You’ll be just as big as your dad one day. You’ll need all the meals you can get.” Rocky murmured as he glanced at him.

“I don’t know about that… My dad and uncle are still growing. I doubt I’ll catch up to them any time soon.” Lloyd shrugged with his wings, leaving them open to take in even more of the sun’s warmth.

“Well, if the First Dragon created the Mountain of a Million Heights hollow so he could use it as a resting place, certainly they have much growing to do to get anywhere close to that size scale.” Shard pointed out.

“Hey, when you get to that size Lloydie, can I use your back as Nindrago’s largest water slide when it rains?” Wisp asked as he lifted his head and Lloydie snorted.

“Sure. Whatever you say.” Lloydie says, amused and they all laughed.

____

Garmadad figured that Krux and Acronix still held at least some remnants of their memories if their reactions to both he and his brother was anything to go by. He sighed as he held a wing up, Acronix hanging off of the edge by his teeth sunk into it, his large, reflective eyes innocent, despite him clearly being caught in the act. He set his wing down low and carefully nudged him off before doing the same for Krux who was gnawing at the flat tip of his tail. The second they woke up and realised they were alone with him, it’s been a competition of who can cause him the most pain it seems. While dragons had rather tough and durable scales, past those scales is rather sensitive skin. Their small, sharp teeth are just perfect to work between his scales to get to said skin. But he wouldn’t wrong them. They were more fortunate than many. They had a second chance, even if they didn’t want to. Their slate has been cleaned and they will grow to understand the difference between right and wrong, understand that power and control wasn’t everything… And once they do understand, their powers will be returned.

So for now, he will give them the benefit of the doubt, would mark this off as hatchlings teething. He laid down, unphased once they immediately began climbing his snout like the mountain he was sure he was to them. Krux was the one who got to the top of his snout first. He watched as he looked for his brother before he wandered over to the other side to see him climbing still. He gave high chitters, encouraging his tiring brother to keep going as he paced around the edge of his snout. Once Acronix finally made it to the top, they both nuzzled each other, excitedly, chirping as they did. Garmadad held back a huff. They still had that strong connection with each other and that was good. Brothers should always stick together…   
________

“I’d say that went well.” Kai smiled as they headed towards the Bounty.

“Kai, you literally tried to fry half the population of the press there.” Lloyd says dryly.

“But I didn't.” Kai pointed out proudly. “Plus those jerks deserved it.” He grinned, tail flicking back and forth.

“He has a point there. One of them outright implied you’d ssomehow end up like your dad.” Jay pointed out.

“But you didn’t have to tase him Jay.” Lloyd protested.

“Oh I didn’t. Tempest did.” Jay clarified. “I didn’t stop him but still.” He added with a grin.

“He looked like he was gonna attack you so it was either Jay tasing him or a broken nose and missing teeth.” Nya says as she cracked her knuckles.

“The media would not have taken well to that.” Pixal reminded her.

“Screw the media. We save Ninjago countless times. You’d think they’d have some faith in us by now.” Cole huffed, crossing his arms.

“I think that is the reason why some still doubt us. After all, Ninjago is almost constantly under attack. Harumi proved that an attack can come from the most unexpected of people. It’s best for us to not dwell on those few however. The majority of Ninjago appreciate and accept us as we are after all.” Zane advised.

“Zane makes a solid point.” Kai nodded then grinned. “I bet the dragons will be stoked to be able to fly anywhere in Ninjago they’d like. Let’s go deliver the good news!” He yelled then spread his wings and flew off, landing on the Bounty up ahead.

“You heard him.” Jay grinned, unfolding his wings and taking off as well, Cole, Lloyd and Zane following up.

“I’ve got you Pix.” Nya huffed, tucking her hands under her arms and Pixal made a sound of surprise once she was lifted off the ground, Nya beating her wings a little harder to carry her over to the Bounty. “That was a work out.” She admits as she set Pixal down then smirked.

“Mind if I add carrying you around while flying to my workout routine?” Nya asked her.

“Certainly. It also broadens my understanding of your aerodynamics.” She agreed as Kai started up the ship.

“Next stop: Dragon’s Labyrinth!”

__________

“Dad, you’re watching them?” Lloydie asked, a little confused as his father herded the twin hatchling dragons with his tail.

“Yes. The ninja had to have a meeting.” Garmadon says in explanation, not even flinching when they both sunk their teeth into his tail, used to it now.

“You uh… Need some help there?” Cole asked, eyeing the two gnawing at his tail like a toy squeak.

No. Squeak toy. Squeak-e toy? Yeah that’s it.

“It… Would be appreciated.” He admits and Cole huffed as he walked over, plucking Acronix then Krux off his tail, picking Acronix up with the tip of his tail as he padded away, setting them down a safe distance from the elder and tucking them under his wing. Earth dragons had a natural affinity in caring for hatchlings, as eggs are always hatched on rock or soil as Dragons didn’t nest like birds.

“What’s going on here?” Morro asked once he and his father returned.

“Brother, there is much to discuss.” Wu says as he walked over to the dark dragon.

“Certainly.” Garmadon says as he straightened up.

All of their attention turned towards the exit facing the front of the labyrinth once they heard the familiar sound of rocket boosters, spotting the flying ship that belonged to the ninja as it arrived and lowered to land, Kai heading their way.

“Kai! Hey!” Lloydie greeted, walking over to nuzzle him.

“Lloydie!” Kai laughed nuzzling him back as they both purred. “I have big news!” He told them with a grin and the dragons all shared a look.

“Lay it on us.” Blaze says as he walked over, eager to hear.

“So Hiroshi’s Labyrinth is great and all but we get that you guys are dragons and this small area might be good for a temporary home, but not so much to properly stretch your wings.” Kai began, Wu and Morro sharing a look, the larger being impressed and the smaller being surprised. “So we gave Ninjago a heads up about you guys being here so they won’t freak out, which means that you guys can fly out beyond this little patch of forest without worry!” He grinned at them and the dragons looked at him in awe- then excitement.

They had barely seen much of their world. They were indeed curious to explore.

“You’ve told them?” Jay asked as he and the others flew in a moment after, Pixal yet again in awe at the colossal size of their elders.

“Yeah, they seem pretty stoked.” Kai grinned, looking up at the bright eyed dragons.

“It’s important to remember however, that while your free range has broadened, Vortica’s influence hasn’t. Long periods of time outside of the labyrinth is not recommended or else dragons will begin to turn human.” Zane reminded them. “We aren’t able to return to your world to reverse the effects so every dragon should be careful when they decide to fly outside of the labyrinth. The Dark Island is still off limits as well.” He told them and the elders nodded.

“We are aware. We will all ensure each and every dragon’s time outside the labyrinth is monitored carefully. But I am certain they will be ecstatic all the same to hear the news.” Wu told them lightly.

“... You really are amazing…” Morro says in awe, looking directly at Kai who blinked then flushed a bit at the surprise compliment.

“It wasn’t all me though. It was everyone.” He shrugged, bashful.

“Yeah but you’re the one who pointed that out to begin with. If you hadn’t we would have never considered this.” Jay spoke up then blinked at a familiar chitter- just before he was ran into by an excited hatchling, landing hard on the ground with a grunt.

“Glad to see you too, bud.” Jay laughed breathlessly as Nix nuzzled him excitedly, his tail flicking back and forth eagerly.

“Looks like you’ve got a fan.” Cole huffed, pulling Nix back enough so he could sit up and hug the baby dragon properly.

“Lookss like it.” Jay chuckled, stroking the spiny bumps on his back.

“So what’s the rest of Ninjago like?” Lloydie asked Kai and he grinned.

“It’s mostly desert but…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I've been busy over the past couple days and also trying to flip my sleep schedule from sleep all day awake all night- yet again.
> 
> But tada! Longer chappie! Next update will be time skip and some more plot!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

“Jay!” Cole’s furious yell echoed from the Bounty and said half serpentine, part dragon and part human peaked his head into their room where Cole was laying in bed, glaring up at the ceiling, unable to move.

Jay burst out laughing then, falling over on the ground and clutching his stomach as the paralyzed Cole swore up a storm.

“Easy on those f-bombs there…” Kai slurred nearby- then blinked. “Jay you mother-”

“That’s enough.” Zane cut Kai off as he walked in, glancing down at Jay who was laughing uncontrollably on the ground with an unimpressed expression. “Jay, I thought we discussed no pranks with your venom.” He scolded, crossing his arms.

“Lighten up Zane. I didn’t even use much- or bite them this time.” Jay grinned as he wiped his tears of laughter away, sitting up now with his tail pooled in his lap.

“That might be true but you still broke a rule. You’ll get to mop the deck today.” Zane told him and Jay sputtered while Cole laughed, slowly getting back his movement.

“Serves you right!” He grinned, slowly working more movement into his hand.

“Zane, come on! It’s cold out there! Worse with water!” Jay whined. “I might start hibernating on the spot!” He pointed out.

“Nice try Jay but Serpentine, Dragons nor humans hibernate in the winter- and it’s only fall anyway. Oh and Rux and Nix made a muddy mess out there on their visit last night so make sure the deck is spotless.” Zane told him as he headed out and Jay pouts, glaring at his lap.

“Who made him mom of the team again?” Jay asked, looking towards Cole as he sat up slowly, Kai still getting movement in his limbs.

“Someone had to be. Sensei Wu isn’t here as yet and aside from Nya and Pixal, Zane’s the only other one with his head set on right. But they’re managing dragon reports across Ninjago so that leaves Zane to babysit.” Cole says as he rolled his shoulders then hung his feet off the bed, not about to get up just yet.

“Ugh. He’s been gone for a solid five months now. Five! Maybe we should have been the ones to track down Lord Garmadon. I bet it would have been quicker.” Jay says as he flopped back on the ground on his back with his arm spread out.

“I don’t know about that… I mean, we’ve been active after the whole Oni fiasco and we haven’t seen any signs of him being around.” Kai says as he flicked his tail back and forth to shake more of his paralysis. “Plus, I think it’s a bit personal. You know, like family matters. Sensei will find him. Eventually, but he will.” He shrugged.

“Jay!” Zane called from the outside and Kai huffed.

“I’m coming, I’m coming…” Jay grumbled as he got up.

____

Lloyd slowed then stopped outside of the Dragon Tower from where he had been doing his usual morning run, pushing himself up on his hind legs as he spotted both elders just outside, discussing something. Wu had actually gone out to explore Ninjago yesterday and to collect a few things from Ninjago’s wildlife outside of the labyrinth. Wu specializes in herbs and medication- which they had run out of a long time ago actually. It was just something short of a miracle why no-dragon needed medical care. But Wu liked to be prepared, so he had accepted lessons to understand written Ninjagan language- which he says, was rather similar to theirs- and had taken the time to read as much as he could about Ninjagan Fauna and Flora via a projector, as books were far too tiny for him to read from.

He wasn’t alone in his lessons however. Any dragon who was interested came for lessons, as they have come across several signs in their language they weren’t able to properly decipher. In fact, the dragons were getting along very well with Ninjagans, several of them already making friends with the locals. They found children particularly interesting and are protective of them. Though they were dragons still and they sometimes got themselves into trouble, which was why Nya and Pixal opened a line specifically for incidents like that where they could repair something they broke or get them out of a sticky situation. That aside, he found it strange that no-one heard him returning- it’s next to impossible to miss those heavy wing beats from the distance they were. He walked towards them as Little G skittered up his neck to nest into his hair, his shiny red eyes just as curious as Lloyd’s.

“Ah. Lloyd. Good morning.” Wu greeted once he spotted him.

“Morning to you too, Dad.” Lloyd says with a nod then spotted the large bag Wu had fashioned all but overflowing with common- and rare- plants. “Did you find everything you need?” He asked and Wu nods once.

“And then some. This world has rather curious and awing wildlife.” Wu told him then reached into his bag. “These are especially curious. Sunny flowers. Their energy are the exact same as the sun.” He says, pulling out a paw full of sunny flowers that floated just above his paw itself.

“Yeah, they are. Ninjago’s wildlife is pretty but also pretty dangerous to us.” Lloyd told them, his tail swishing side to side. “It’s kinda the reason why most of our population built a city in the middle of the desert.” He shrugged.

“These could prove quite useful for our world. Especially during winter.” Garmadad rumbled as he took a blue one. “These could keep us stationed at the Mountain all year round…” He says, feeling the heat of them warming his paws.

“My thoughts exactly.” Wu nods at his brother. “I’ve managed to gather some seeds. Perhaps once our world’s air is breathable once more we can integrate some of Ninjago’s flora into our world. After all, by then, the plants we had previously known may cease to exist or evolve into something very different…” He spoke as he gathered the flowers again.

“But will our flora be able to survive in your world? They were tailored for ours after all…” Lloyd pointed out.

“That is true, but we won’t know for sure until we try.” Garmadad told him, reaching a warm paw down to gently brush his cheek and Lloyd couldn’t stop his purr at the contact.

Little G couldn’t stop his grumbling hiss either, slipping down to coil himself around his neck jealously.

“Come on, there’s no need to get all jealous.” Lloyd laughed, running the back of his finger over his father’s head.

“It’s alright.” Garmadad huffed, amused. “Ah. Is Jay awake yet? Nix has been restless for most of the night without him. I suppose he’s too young to understand that Jay can’t always be with him- even if this is the first night in months he’s slept away from him.” He murmured and Lloyd subconsciously looked towards where the Bounty was parked.

“I’m sure he is by now.” He told the large black dragon thoughtfully. “I can probably take them back to the ship for a little while. We can bring them back when we’re done with our morning routine.” He offered, looking up at him.

“I’ll come with you.” Garmadad decided, opening his wings in preparation to fly back up to the top of the tower. “It’s a certain someone’s turn to watch over the tower anyway.” He huffed, playfully smacking Wu with his wing.

“I’m well aware of that, brother.” Wu says dryly, using a paw to lower his wing from his face. “And I have to make medicine anyway.” He added in the same tone as Garmadad before flying off.

The latter chuckled then flew off behind him too. Lloyd watched them as they did. They had a really good relationship with each other, huh.

“Is that what you and uncle Wu were like? Before you turned evil?” Lloyd asked quietly, stroking the shiny black dragon’s head still.

He only gave a low, barely audible chitter but Lloyd didn’t need to understand him to know he was telling him that they were like that… And that he missed it…

___

Jay grumbled as he mopped the deck, needing to mop extra hard to get out all the muddy paw prints off the deck so Zane won’t be on his ass. He sighed once he finally finished, dropping the mop in the bucket.

“Jeeze. Zane’s such a-”

“He’s such a what?” Jay jolted, landing on all fours with his back arched and electricity building along the column of short horns that ran down his back to the tip of his horned tail.

He relaxed, releasing a huge sigh to see Nya there.

“I think I just lost 10 years off my life.” He breathed out as he got to his feet again.

“That’ll teach you a lesson for talking behind Zane’s back.” She smirked then looked up once heavy wing beats sounded. “Looks like we have visitors.” She says, just as the large black dragon came into view.

“Hey. I’d invite you all to breakfast but we’ve already eaten and I don’t think we have enough to feed you guys.” Nya says with a smirk as they landed, the others joining her soon after.

“Don’t worry about it. We already grabbed a bite.” Mist says, waving her wings dismissively.

An excited chirp interrupted anyone from saying anything and Jay found himself being pinned by the rather heavy baby dragon who was rubbing up against him insistently.

“Hey Nix, missed you too…” Jay says breathlessly, said dragon placing most of his weight against his chest.

“Getting him to sleep without you last night was a nightmare.” Wisp murmured around a yawn, his head resting heavily against the ship.

The other dragons gave tired murmurs of agreement.

“Did you try using lightning?” Jay asked his dragon self, sitting up and hugging the wiggly dragon close.

“I tried that for hours. He’s taken too strong of a liking to you to be fooled by me.” Wisp rumbled, eyes blinking slowly.

“You guys should probably take a nap then. We moved the Bounty into the labyrinth’s space so you don’t have to worry about becoming human whenever you visit.” Kai says as he lowered to all fours then spread his wings and flew up, perching on Garmadad’s nose where Lloyd already was, giving a happy purr once he reached a paw up to gently stroke the side of his face.

“Good luck getting him to leave now.” Blaze huffed, watching Nix as he settled down in Jay’s arms. “He might not understand most of what we’re saying but he knows how tones.” He says as he straightened then stretched.

“Oh boy.” Jay huffed, not minding that at all, getting attached as he had to the dragonling.

“Sit tight little guy. I’ll get my game real quick. I’ve gotten some new ones I know you’ll love.” Jay told Nix as he set him down and Nix perked up, his chubby tail wagging quickly as he shifted restlessly.

With that, Jay headed down below deck to fetch the device.

“I’ll take up that nap offer.” Rocky murmured as he walked away from the ship to a nearby spot, huffing as he dropped down on the ground.

“Sounds good.” Shard hummed as he too followed along with everyone but Garmadad and Lloydie.

“Rux looks like he could use a nap himself.” Cole chuckled, watching the dragonling blink at him slowly from his place occupying his lap.

“Well, he did have to work just as hard as the rest of us to get Nix to sleep.” Lloydie huffed as he rested his head against his father’s side, a low rumbling purr leaving him as a large black wing draped over him, both of them moving to lay on their stomachs just beside the ship.

“Poor guy. A brother’s work is never done, huh?” Cole murmured softly, stroking along Rux’s side as he began to slowly drift off.

“It never is.” Kai hummed then glanced at Lloyd. “Speaking of, did you drink water after your run?” He asked Lloyd who blinked then looked sheepish.

“Uh. No actually.” He says as he got to his feet and spread his wings. “Be right back.” He told them then glided down to the ship’s deck.

“I got it!” He heard Jay call out and Lloyd chuckled as he headed to the lower deck.

“Lloyd!” He startled, hearing his name being yelled from several different angles.

He wiped his head around- then paled at the blast of amber energy coming right for him. There’s no way he’d be able to dodge in time- and he didn’t need to luckily. The black dragon around Lloyd’s neck hadn’t paused to think, only launched himself off the second he spotted the energy, intercepting it.

The amber energy hit the small dragon and he hit the deck hard.

“Dad!” Lloyd yelled as he dropped to his knees, reaching for the sluggishly writhing dragon- only to have his eyes widen- along with everyone else witnessing this- as the dragonling grew in size, scales receding, skin lightening, paws turning into hands and feet…

Lloyd stared with wide eyes at the man on his hands and knees before him. He lifted his head, dark eyes meeting red, gray hair falling into them. Lloyd’s mouth worked uselessly for a moment before he managed to utter a single word.

“D-dad?” He whispered, looking over the gray haired man he hasn’t seen in years now.

Said man blinked at him then shifted his weight to his knees and looked at his hands. They were… Human… He was… He looked up at Lloyd again.

“Son.” Garmadon whispered, a smile tugging at his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at this! Plot! Dw, more details on what happened here will be put in the next chapter. That and some explanations (or ninja theory rather) on why there's two Garmadons (lord g and little g) in one dimension. Ik I said every other day but my sleep schedule is fucked already- after one whole ass day. I'll still try for that interval but it might end up coming out a little late or a little early sometimes.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!
> 
> **Edit:** This is why I shouldn't write sleep deprived but red was supposed to be amber. Sorry!


	21. Chapter 21

“Wh- dad?!” Lloyd sputtered, shock turning into even more shock as he stared at the father who sacrificed himself in order to stop Chen and his Anacondrai warriors. “How?!” He asked, not sure if he should hug the man or run the other way.

“I remember now.” Garmadon says, holding onto his head then met his son’s eyes again as the others gathered around him. “The ritual Harumi used. It-” He grunted, dark energies billowing around him.

“Wh- what’s happening?” Lloyd asked, a little scared now as his father hunched over.

“It split-” Garmadon’s second attempt to explain what happened to him was met with his body rapidly regressing, returning to the small black dragon that had been Lloyd’s partner for almost half a year now.

The dragon gave a disappointed chitter then walked closer to Lloyd staring at him in shock, looking hesitant himself.

“... What the heck just happened?” Jay spoke up, breaking the silence. “One second I found my gaming console and the next Garmadon was here? Like, Sensei G? How is that even possible?!” He yelled as Lloyd hesitated for a moment longer before reaching a hand out for Little G to climb up.

“Rux did something somehow…” Cole spoke up, looking down at the dead quiet dragonling in his arms, his shiny eyes not as shiny with trepidation or even fear. “I think he used his time reverse power, but I don’t know how it turned Little G into  _ Sensei  _ G.” He says with clear confusion.

“Is that normal for them?” Pixal asked, looking up at Garmadad who was clearly in thought.

“No. Their powers are of time, not of transformation.” Garmadad told them. “But perhaps, that was how your father looked before.” He suggested, looking to Lloyd.

“... But when did he look like that?” Lloyd asked with a frown, looking to his father who was coiled around his arm. “If Rux really rewound him far enough back to when we were at Chen’s, wouldn’t he become Anacondrai then ghost then Oni? Not like he used to then dragon… And that was years ago. If he’s starting to awaken his power, would he really be able to rewind time that far back?” He asked, looking to the apprehensive dragonling then his friends.

“Lloyd has a solid point there. But things aren’t making sense here. This little guy is definitely your dad but… Isn’t Lord Garmadon too?” Nya asked.

“Yeah…” Kai nodded and they all paused to think.

“... Didn’t he say something about a split?” Lloydie pointed out and they glanced at him before Zane gasped.

“You figured it out Zane?” Jay asked him, reaching down to heave Nix in his arms, the dragonling nervous with the serious air around them all.

“I think I might have.” Zane nodded, looking to his friends. “The only other time I could think of that he’d look like he did must be during his time in the Departed Realm. Harumi resurrected Garmadon by pulling his soul from the Departed Realm and having him become fully Oni. But… What if she only channeled his Oni side and not his human and/or dragon side? What if the ritual split his soul into pieces and only resurrected the dark side of him?” He asked and the others looked surprised at that.

“That’s not far fetched at all.” Garmadad rumbled, his large tail flicking back and forth as he thought. “The soul is a complex thing and is rather flexible. I don’t doubt it’s ability to be fractured.” He told them.

“So this guy’s basically Lord Garmadon’s good half?” Kai asked, all eyes turning to the black dragon as it blinked sluggishly up at Lloyd, coiled in loops around his wrist.

“But if that’s true, how is he here?” Pixal questioned.

“Pixal has a point. If his soul was fractured in the Departed Realm, should this guy be in the Departed Realm? I’m sure we didn’t see any sight of this guy at the Temple of Resurrection back then so I doubt it slipped free when Garmadon was summoned. We went back and checked to make sure nothing else slipped through.” Nya pointed out.

“... Dragons are the only known creatures able to travel between realms at free will so maybe that’s it.” Lloyd murmured as he brought his wrist up to his neck so Little G could coil around his neck for a nap.

“Could be.” Cole murmured then focused on Rux. “Hey, it’s alright. We aren’t mad. You’re ok…” He spoke low to the dragonling, hugging him closer and he pressed himself more against Cole but he still had a hint of wariness.

“The other Kronos Steel blades are being forged as we speak. This time, we will have both of their powers taken for now, until they have matured enough to be trusted with their power. Until then, they will be locked away in the Monastery at the top of the Mountain. Unfortunately, the blades aren’t yet ready and won’t be for some time. Until then, please be careful as their powers make themselves known. They have no real control over them at so young an age.” Garmadad told them and they nodded.

“It’ll be tough but we’ll manage. I notice the line on his side glow a bit before he uses his powers so we just have to look out for that on them both.” Cole told them, all out cradling the dragonling as Jay was forced to sit with Nix, the latter just too heavy for him, even with his boost in strength thanks to both his Serpentine and dragon roots. 

“Since their powers are acting up, maybe it’ll be best to have them stay with us until the Kronos Steel blades are finished. I think we’ll react better to them using their powers better than the other dragons. That and if he could somehow manage to turn the time back on Little G there for more answers- like a way to make his soul whole again maybe.” Kai suggested, looking to his dragon father.

“If you are sure.” Garmadon consented.

“Maybe Vortica knows a way? She was pretty insistent that we contact her after Sensei Wu manages to bring Lord Garmadon back here after all.” Lloyd pointed out, looking up at his friends.

“Very likely. I doubt that this version of our dimension is the only place this phenomenon has happened.” Pixal nodded.

“Unfortunately, we can’t ask her that, despite having a direct line to her.” Nya told them with a small frown.

“Yeah. She’s still observing those other versions of us. And thinking about their power level, it might be best for us to let her keep her focus until necessary.” Kai says as he thought back to the image she showed him back then of the Monastery and where it and half the mountain wasn’t.

“And with that, let’s lighten the mood a bit.” Jay says as he shifted Nix in a half sitting position in his lap and started up his game console. “The whole seriousness thing is really making this guy uneasy.” He murmured, resting his chin atop Nix’s head, the dragonling still looking nervous but his eyes did shine a little brighter as he looked at the colourful screen, his tail tapping Jay’s as he watched on.

“Tell me about it.” Cole murmured, nuzzling Rux but he was still rather anxious after the whole thing. “It’s alright bud, don’t worry about it.” He murmured low as he walked away from the others to the front of the ship in hopes to help him release some of the tension out of his small- for a dragon- body.

“You alright Lloyd?” Kai asked softly as he walked over and placed a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder as he nodded.

“Yeah. Just a little shocked is all.” He admits, reaching up to gently brush the back of his finger against the snout of the napping dragon around his neck, no doubt being rewound taking a lot out of him.

It’s just… That face was one he had lost all hope of seeing again, had accepted he wouldn’t be seeing again. He loved his father in all shapes and forms but seeing that one was a reminder that the worst of things was over, gave him a feeling that he really could keep his father this time… But of course, that wasn’t so. He glanced over at Garmadad, watching him with all too intelligent, all too knowing red eyes. He supposes that’s why he clung to this version of his father as tightly as he had. He was… Stable… Grounded… Not going anywhere- at least, nowhere he couldn’t follow or visit. It felt nice to always have a father figure around… He watched as Garmadad reached a paw out to him and he climbed on without hesitation, Kai climbing on with him too.

“Come e’re.” Kai murmured, pulling him down to sit in his paw and hugging him close, both Garmadad and Lloydie’s snout coming to nuzzle them.

He couldn’t stop his eyes from becoming wet, even as he purred his heart out. He had a family here, with them, with the other dragons and ninja. But… He closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want his true father to be here still. He didn’t care how he’d look, just as long as he remembers how things used to be, just as long as he remembered him. Not just know that he was his son… Just… As long as he loved him too…

“Cole.” Said ninja lifted his head to the other dragons close by, all of them staying where they were as per Garmadad’s silent queue for them to stay. “Bring him here.” Rocky spoke again and Cole glanced down at Rux before he grew and unfolded his wings, taking flight a moment after and landing just before the Earth dragon.

“It’s like they say. Two tails are better than one.” Rocky murmured as he curled himself around both the half dragon and hatchling, nosing Rux in Cole’s arms still then resting his head on his tail, watching as Cole stroked Rux’s stomach like he refused to admit he liked, Cole smirking once his tail began minutely wagging.

“Ah-ha! I knew you liked it!” Cole grinned and Rux hissed his denial, forcing his tail to stop wagging- but only for a moment as Cole started scratching, a high purr, his tail wag picking up speed.

Cole only lightly grew his claws in to effectively scratch at the smoother scales on his soft underside, very careful to make sure they didn’t hook in between the scales there.

“You guys keep him distracted, I’ll grab the kid some grub.” Blaze declared as he got to his feet then took off.

Cole huffed, looking down at where Rux where the latter had closed his eyes to fully submerge himself into the feeling. These little guys really were too cute for their own good. Cole would give him all the more scratches he wanted. He’s witnessed too many grow up before they should after all. It didn’t matter if they were actually older than even these other dragons here, they were kids now and they deserved to enjoy it, not stress over things they can’t control. It made him wonder if things like that was the reason why they became the way they did too. After all, Garm let it slip that they turned against the other dragons when they were a little older than the dragon ninja were. Things would be different this time though. At least, he hoped they would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More plot! I'm a dummy who wrote red instead of amber last chapter but eyy it's fixed! More plot to come next chapter!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	22. Chapter 22

‘Come on bud. Say Jay. Jaaaaaay.’ Jay cooed at Nix who was laying before him on his stomach on the deck of the Bounty, looking at him with curious shiny eyes.

“Maybe you’re asking too much of the little guy.” Lloyd huffed, watching the two not too far away, Little G watching as well from his perch on his head.

“And those guys aren’t?” Jay huffed, looking to where Kai was trying to coax Rux who was being held by Cole, into using his powers again by showing off his fire breathing, the latter looking entranced as Zane supervised. “Besides, the big dad said it himself. They should be learning to talk by now.” He says as he looked to Nix again then slithered closer to the dragonling so his snout was almost touching his nose.

‘Come on Nix. Jaaaay.’ He cooed and Nix only licked at his nose, pulling a laugh from the lightning ninja. “You are waaay too cute for your own good.” Jay smiled as he nuzzled Nix’s snout with his nose.

“Maybe you should try other words than your name. It takes a while for dragons to learn to effectively communicate after all. Our language isn’t exactly easy to learn.” Shard suggested, watching them all from his place laying just beside the ship, the other dragons gone to do their usual rounds. “Words- sounds that might be easier for you aren’t so easy for them. Names are one of the most complicated since they’re of a specific sound combined with a specific tone, both of which neither of them have a grasp on as yet.” He continued.

“He has a point.” Nya had to agree, watching the two nearby, on break from her last mission to help administer some antidotes for an excited poison dragon’s fumes in a village nearby Jamanakai village.

Luckily the fumes only caused nausea and headache and nothing life threatening. The people there held no grudges however and eagerly welcomed the friendly dragons as they dropped by for a drink by the lake near their settlement with food and curious pats and climbing the dragons found endearing.

“Alright then, so what kind of sounds you have in mind?” Jay asked Shard who paused to think.

“Nix.” The dragonling responded to his name by turning his head to look at the older dragon. ‘Bone.’ He rumbled low and Nix blinked at him as he repeated it again.

‘... Bone.’ Nix repeats after a while listening to Shard say it.

“Yeah! You said it! You spoke!” Jay cheered the little guy on, picking him up and swinging him around.

Nix clearly didn’t understand why Jay was so excited but it made him excited and the dragonling gave a high, happy chirp as his chubby tail wagged.

“Jay his back-!” Lloyd was cut off by Jay slowing down dramatically with Nix still in arms, spinning with him slowly in the blue energy that engulfed them. “Well then.” He huffed, amused.

“Nix’s powers are less likely to cause trouble at least.” Nya shrugged.

“Face it Kai, the kid doesn’t want to use his powers- though he’s having a hell of a time watching you use yours.” Cole huffed at Kai who shot a ball of fire from his mouth and having it explode outwards in the sky like a firework.

“Yes so I recommend not performing your extravagant fire tricks on and over a very flammable mostly wooden ship that holds a high amount of rocket fuel surrounded by very flammable trees.” Pixal called down from the bridge of the ship.

“Pixal does have a rather strong point.” Zane pointed out and Kai huffed smoke through his nose as the fiery glow of his chest started to fade.

“Then how else are we going to get him to use his powers?” Kai asked them, placing his hands on his hips.

“We don’t.” Cole shrugged. “No doubt he’s a little traumatized from all the commotion the first time he used them caused so we just have to wait until he’s comfortable using it again.” He told Kai, scratching Rux’s stomach like he likes, smiling once he purred and turned over for a better angle.

“And when he does, Little G has to be close by, which means Lloyd has to be close by since the little guy would rather burn than be away from him.” He added, looking across at where said oni was watching them, the dark dragon tilting its head curiously at the mention of his nickname.

“Who knows how long that will take though.” Kai pointed out as he sat cross legged, glancing down at his permanently half shifted feet, wiggling his clawed toes.

“The reality of the situation is less urgent than you think.” Zane spoke up lightly, reaching over to Rux to scratch under his chin, an amused smile tugging the corner of his lips once Rux’s right leg began to twitch, his purrs growing. “At this point, I’m certain Vortica knows how to solve the situation of Garmadon’s fractured soul and it’s only a matter of time before Sensei Wu brings the other half of him here. While reversing time on Little G would prove insightful, with or without that occurrence, the end result will be the same. Garmadon will be whole again.” He elaborated.

“Yeah. I mean if she monitors dimensions, no doubt she’s seen this happen at least a couple of times.” Nya shrugged.

Before anything else could be said, Jay suddenly stumbled to a stop.

“Woah. Did he just use his powers?” He asked, looking down at a still happily wiggling Nix.

“He sure did.” Lloyd confirmed and Jay beamed at Nix again.

“Look at you becoming a big, strong dragon!” He cooed at Nix and the dragon gave a happy chirp of ‘bone’. “A talkative boy too!” Jay grinned at Nix wiggled in his arms from his almost violent tail wags.

“You already talk enough for us all Jay.” Cole says dryly and Jay shot him a glare before setting Nix down again, his arms starting to ache with the weight of the growing dragon.

“What else can we teach the little guy?” Jay asked Shard and the white and blue dragon paused to consider.

“Usually young dragons begin learning how to call for a parent by now with a specific sound at a specific frequency but well, their parents have long passed since they were fledglings as I was told.” Shard murmured in thought. “For now, I suggest taking things slow. He learned one word quickly but I highly doubt he will be able to learn another so soon.” He told Jay who deflated a little before sitting down, laughing as Nix crawled into his arms.

“Alright bud. One day at a time. Maybe we should show you what an actual bone is…” Jay hummed as he stroked his head, Nix purring as he did.

“What about you Rux?” Kai asked as he laid on his side, a hand on his cheek and the tip of his large wing being kept just out of the young dragon’s reach. “Feel like saying ‘bone’?” He hummed, watching as he set to pounce at his wing.

“What can he say?” Cole chuckled. “He’s a free spirit. He’ll say bone and use his powers when he wants.” He says as Rux jumped up, snapping his jaw at Kai’s wing he lifted out of his reach, leaving Rux to miscalculate his fall and land on his side.

He sprung up again before they could inquire if he was ok, setting to pounce again. Zane huffed, watching the young dragon attempt to bite at the tip of Kai’s wing again. He was persistent, Zane would give him that much.

______

“Looks like there’s gonna be one heck of a storm tonight.” Cole murmured as he leaned against the railings of the ship, watching dark clouds move in from off the sea, cool winds wrapping around him as they blew by.

“You’re telling me.” Tempest huffed next to him, eyes on the sky, flashing with the lightning in the clouds before he gave his usual smile. “My kind of weather…” He hummed, the tip of his horned tail gently tapping the deck.

“I hope you aren’t planning on flying out in this kind of weather.” Tempest leaned his head back to look at the green eyed Nindroid as she narrowed said eyes at him. “I’ve grasped the extent of both of your capabilities and in a storm of that magnitude, you would only end up in trouble.” Pixal warned, giving him an unimpressed look once he laughed light and airily.

“Lighten up. I meant it was good for sleeping.” He told her, resting his elbow against the railing and his cheek in his palm as he grinned at her still, the grin- as with all his smiles and laughs- never quite reaching his eyes that were noticeably darker than Jay’s bright blues.

Cole huffed next to him, knowing he definitely meant for flying. But he wasn’t wrong. Storms like this are great when you’re all bundled up in bed and warm. He hopes the same applies for the napping twins in the make-shift nest of blankets and pillows in the middle of their room. They don’t seem particularly bothered by storms but you never really know…

“Cole! Tempest!” They both glanced at Lloyd who was calling them from the living- and eating quarters below the bridge. “Lunch is ready!” He told them and Cole pushed off the railing.

“Let’s go. Jay told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t go eating anything raw.” He says to Tempest who looked genuinely amused for once.

“The threat of a whole day of screaming is more than enough to keep me in line.” Tempest hummed as he headed in, his stride a lot more elegant and graceful than Jay’s- much like the snake he half was.

That made Cole think. This Tempest seems a little different from the tempest of the First Realm. Maybe the whole becoming half serpentine changed him a bit…

“Cole.” He snapped his head up to see Lloyd looking at him with red eyes holding a hint of worry, Tempest too looking at him over his shoulder. “You coming?” He asked and Cole huffed as he walked over.

“Yeah. I was just thinking.” He says, ruffling Lloyd’s hair between his horns as he walked by.

“Hey! No-one messes up my hair!” Lloyd called after him, fussing to straighten his hair again.

“Tell that to literally everyone else.” Cole called back with a laugh as he took his seat and Lloyd huffed, totally not pouting as they too took their seats.

____

“Man, the rain’s really coming down.” Kai says as he gathered their used dishes, balancing a few on the flat tip of his tail as he did, looking out to where Lloyd and Tempest were seated by the sliding doors that were half opened, looking out as the rain pelted the ship.

“I don’t know about you but it makes me wanna take a nap.” Nya says around a yawn, leaning against Pixal who had joined them for conversation, not minding at all that she can’t actually eat like Zane can.

“Weather patterns show that it might keep raining until well into the night. Perhaps back until into the morning.” Zane says as he too looked out from his seat around the table too.

“Hopefully no dragon gets in trouble then. It’ll be a hassle moving around in weather like this.” Nya says as she got up to wash the dishes with Kai as it was their turn.

“Unlikely. The dragons like to hunker down for weather like this. Lightning dragons might be out but they’d be grounded instead since they don’t need to fly to gain a boost of energy from the electricity charged air.” Pixal explained, her studies on the dragons coming in handy.

It wasn’t every day that she got an opportunity like this after all.

“That’s good. I plan on having a nice long nap after this.” She says as she followed behind Kai as he carried the dishes to the sink.

“Dibs on the tv.” Lloyd says as he got up, heading towards said device and curling up on the couch.

“All yours.” Cole says as he got up with a stretch, his joints popping as he did.

He couldn’t stop himself from jolting at a sudden and deafening crash of thunder however.

“Holy f-” Zane cleared his throat. “... Fudge!” Cole breathed, a hand over his chest.

He shot Tempest a glare as he laughed at him- the effect lost when a bright flash of light came with an even louder boom of thunder, startling Cole again. Tempest’s laughter was cut short when a sharp, high cry sounded. Cole was moving before he could even comprehend it, his feet taking him down the stairs quickly. He grunted once Rux ran right into him, landing on his butt in the hallway below. He did hold the young dragon closely as he all but crawled into his chest, trembling in his arms, whimpering fearfully.

“Shh. It’s alright. I’ve got you. It’s just a storm, you’re alright.” Cole reassured, holding the young dragon close.

He glanced up once a whining chitter sounded, finding Nix there, not at all afraid but certainly looking worried and afraid for his brother.

“Don’t worry Nix. He’s alright.” Cole glanced back, noticing that everyone had also gathered, Jay walking by to take Nix in arms.

“Poor guy must have been frightened out of his sleep.” Kai says, stroking Rux’s head from where he was, leaned over Cole. “He’s been awake and asleep through storms before, no problem.” He says as he knelt next to the two.

“Those lightning strikes were rather close as well…” Zane murmured as he shifted his attention between the two dragonlings.

“It’s just a storm… It won’t hurt you…” Cole continued to murmur low, pulling out his large dark wings to wrap around Rux to make him feel safer.

“Maybe it’s best to bring them above deck where everyone else is.” Nya suggested and Pixal nodded her agreement.

“Alright. Sounds good. I’ll grab their blankets.” Kai says as he walked passed them to the end of the hall.

Cole moved to get up- when another deafening rumble of thunder went off and Rux gave a terrified cry.

“Cole! Rux!” Jay yelled and Cole looked down at the dragonling as his right side glowed amber.

Uh-oh.

Cole didn’t have a chance to even attempt to set Rux down before amber blinded him.

Rux gave a small yelp once he was suddenly dropped, whimpering as he got to all fours.

“Cole…” Zane whispered with wide eyes and Cole stood there, not needing to see what happened to him.

This feeling of being disconnected like this, feeling as if his body was turned off… He’s felt it before, had dealt with it for months before. Rux turned back time on him… And he turned it back to one of the worse times of his life.

_______________________________

[Dragonverse Kai](https://justsomerandomweebo.tumblr.com/post/616960204461031425/posting-this-here-too-because-ye)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwa! sorry for disappearing again! I was just distressing over the financial side effects of this pandemic has on my family is all. I hope you enjoy that lil art piece in apology! Let’s just pretend I added scales to all of his wings, tail and feet. Also his hands look normal on the ground but they’re rather thickly padded in the palm area. I'll keep doing my best with updates!! Thank you for reading!!!
> 
> **EDIT:** Ok the image isn't coming up so I exchanged it with a link to my tumblr where I posted it instead.****


	23. Chapter 23

“Of all the times to be sent back to…” Cole murmured as he looked down at his translucent green hand, finding himself to be a ghost all over again.

He was sure the only reason he wasn’t having a more severe reaction was because of the shock of the whole situation. And he had to keep focus on that, on emotions or else he’d lose his mind over his inability to physically feel.

“H-hey! It’s ok! I mean, Little G got reversed pretty quickly so maybe you will too?” Jay says hopefully as Cole frowned.

“Lets hope so. I’m…” He swallowed. “I’m not willing to go through this twice… That and… There’s no Ying Yang moon for a long time to come.” He says, clenching his fist and feeling nothing.

He could feel the shock slowly bleed into slowly increasing panic. Despite having his other two senses, he felt muted, felt as if he was missing a limb- but all over. A barely there whimper caught his attention and he looked down at Rux as he looked him over in apprehension, frozen to his spot on the ground from where he fell from Cole’s hands that couldn’t hold anything anymore.

“Don’t worry about it bud. It’s fine.” Cole reassured with a tight smile.

“Holy shit! Cole! Why are you a- a ghost again?!” Kai blurts as he stepped out with several blankets and pillows in arms, his wings helping him hold them.

“There’s not much we can do about this right now so I suggest we focus on the dragons for now.” Zane says as he walked over and picked Rux up, the dragon far more hesitant with him than he was with Kai or Cole. “If we aren’t careful, they could develop traumatic memories. And while we can’t always prevent such a thing, we should put our best efforts into trying still.” He spoke low as panels in his back opened up for a metallic wing to pull free, half wrapping around Rux as comfort.

“Zane’s right.” Cole agrees, glancing at his friends looking at him in worry. “We’re supposed to help them grow up into better dragons than they were. Trauma isn’t the best way to do that. You guys take them upstairs.” He told them and Zane nods and went.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care or hold concern over the fact that the amount of time he’s been a ghost has long passed how long Little G was a human. No, it was the opposite. He wanted to stay by Cole’s side but someone had to be level headed once it comes onto the dragons… That and he knows Cole doesn’t want them see him slowly coming apart at the seams like he was. Especially not Rux.

“... Cole…” Nya began.

“No, it’s ok. I just need a moment. Go help out Zane.” He reassured her with a tight smile before he passed Kai by to head into their room.

“Nix, you be a good boy and look after your brother for a little while, ok?” Jay says, looking down at the dragonling who was looking around nervously at the tense air around them.

Nix blinked at him as he walked him over to Nya, letting her take him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back in a jif.” Jay promised with his normal bright grin before nodded at Nya to go.

She hesitates then does so, Pixal following after a moment.

“I’ll talk to him.” Tempest says, turning around to face Kai, the latter frowning.

“... Jay, make sure to keep him in check.” Kai spoke after a moment’s contemplation, his tail flicking back and forth with underlying anxiety.

“I will. Rux needs you for now.” Jay nods then passed him by too and Kai watched him go, noting how his stride changing mid walk as Tempest took over again.

He then breathed smoke through his nose before heading upstairs.

Tempest walked into the room, finding Cole curled up on his bed- or rather, half way through, his breathing fast as he clutched his hair. He tilted his head to the side then walked in, perching at the edge of the bed and curling his tail half into his lap.

“Hey, what’s being a ghost like?” Tempest asked, ignoring Jay as he yelled up a storm, threatening to strangle him.

Cole didn’t respond but Tempest waited patiently, his slitted blue eyes on the tip of his tail, watching it flick back and forth.

“...Hell.” The quiet response came some time later. “... It’s… Like being plugged out of your body… You can see… And hear… Think… And feel emotions… But…” Cole looked up from his arms, looking run down and weary, his now equally green eyes looking distant and tired.

“That’s it. You can’t… Fell… Or smell… Or taste… You can’t… You just… Feel untethered… Like a helium balloon.” He murmured into his arms. “And… If I’m not careful… I’ll float away… And disappear…” He gritted his teeth at that, gripping his arms tightly- not that he could tell he was without looking.

“And you’re afraid that’ll happen to you, right? That you’d disappear and there’s no coming back?” Tempest asked him, tilting his head to the side.

“... Yeah.” Cole’s barely audible answer came not long after.

“But that won’t happen.” The blue half serpentine, part dragon, barely human spoke factually and Cole frowned. “‘How do I know that?’” He guessed before Cole could ask.

“Haven’t you realised? You have annoyingly persistent friends, family that would tear this world apart before they let that happen to you, before they let you fade away. This rich coming from me but, have some faith in them, will you?” He huffed. “The dragon elders still have Nix’s time forward powers so they could try that. And if that fails, we have contact with an interdimensional traveler slash inspector or whatever the hell that girl- Vortica- is. She’s bound to see this happen at least a few times and would know how to fix it. And even if that fails, they’d all find a way to fix this. Even if it meant marching into the Departed Realm and asking the First Spinjitzu Master himself for help.” Tempest reminds and Cole couldn’t hold back a huff at his bold statement.

“Don’t believe me? Then take their word for it. You know your friends better than I do but I know they’re idiotic and troublesome enough to actually find themselves infront of the First Spinjitzu Master if you needed it.” He told Cole, glancing at him through the corner of his eyes. “And  _ you  _ know it.” He added, using his tail to point at Cole and the Earth Ninja couldn’t deny.

His friends, they were all stubborn enough to pull off something like that. And knowing that… Cole smiled as warmth filled his chest, spreading through him and making him solid.

“... Thanks…” He told Tempest as he uncurled himself, feeling infinitely better than he previously had. “You know, you’re pretty good with this whole pep talk thing. Why not do it more often?” Cole joked and Tempest tsked.

“That’s way too troublesome and tiring.” He immediately declined and Cole chuckled. “Don’t make it too much of a habit either. I only did it because this idiot would probably make things worse. He’s desperate enough to help his friend that he’s willing to try- even if he knows he’d fail.” He huffed, ignoring Jay’s yell of hey.

Cole huffed.

“You kno, you can stop with this whole ‘his friend’ business. I’m your friend too you know.” Cole says lightly and Tempest hated that he froze so suddenly. “Heck, we all are. You should know that by now.” He huffed as he shifted to the edge of the bed, nudging the other male with his shoulder, pleasantly surprised to find that he was actually solid enough to do so.

“... Yeah whatever.” He huffed to brush it off before he retreated, shoving Jay out.

“Rude much.” Jay huffed, crossing his arms. “... You alright?” He asked tentatively after a moment.

“Yeah. I’m alright.” Cole smiled then got up and stretched on reflex. “We better go help out the others. Rux and Nix must be worried.” He reminded and Jay nods as he stood, a smile on his face to hear in his friend’s voice how much happier and confident he was.

“Yeah. Let’s go.” Jay says, leading the way.

Cole headed above deck in the living space and wasn’t at all surprised to find Rux curled up in Kai’s arms from where the latter was seated by the half opened doors, if only to stamp out the last of Rux’s fright of the loud thunder by reassuring him that it was just that: thunder. Nix was also with him, both of them using Kai as a sort of glorified bed, no matter how small. He seems much calmer with a familiar figure and his brother. The others all perked up at the sight of him, wanting to ask questions but not sure if they should interrupt this moment of peace he seems to just have found. He walked over to where Kai was, wary of the rain but Kai had made sure to raise a wing to block any stray drops of water as he closed the door again with his tail. He then sat next to him and reached out to Rux, stroking his head.

Rux’s head lifted as he opened his eyes at the familiar touch. It was confusing for him. He couldn’t smell the other strange dragon he found himself attached to. He remembered before, remembered his power, remembered how this one had changed and looked him over, noting he looked… Different… He hesitated then gave a low, questioning coo.

“It’s ok Rux. I know I probably look different but it looks like I’ll be like this for a while. I won’t always be able to pick you up or touch you anymore but you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll be back to normal in no time.” Cole murmured low, knowing he probably couldn’t understand him but wanting to reassure him anyway. “You just be a good little dragon and be happy, yeah? It’s not every day you get to relive childhood twice after all. So let’s make sure you enjoy it to the fullest.” He smiled, leaning down to gently butt their foreheads together and Rux gave a chirp before switching onto Cole’s arms, nuzzling him.

“Oh thank god.” Kai sighed, taking a deep breath. They’re really growing. I could barely breathe.” He relaxed then more still once Jay picked up Nix off of him and sat next to Cole so both brothers could be close.

“They are. Soon, they’ll be the ones picking us up.” Jay chuckled, nuzzling Nix as he gave a happy coo.

“So what’s the plan? I don’t think you’ll be turning back on your own…” Nya asked as she and the others joined them on the ground.

“Well, the big dad and Wu still have Nix’s time powers contained and with them so we start there tomorrow once the storm is over. And if that fails, we have Vortica’s contact. Maybe she knows how to reverse it.” Jay told them and the three nodded at that, finding that both options are smart ones.

“Don’t worry Cole, we’ll fix this, even if we have to resurrect Lloyd’s grandfather to help.” Nya told him determinedly and Cole chuckled before all out laughing, his smile wide.

All but Jay looked at him confused- but happy to see him genuinely laughing in this situation.

“You know...” Cole began, swiping nonexistent tears from the corner of his eyes, his smile still wide and warm. “A friend of ours told me you might do that.” He hummed.

“Of course we would.” Lloyd shrugged, leaning forward on his hands planted in his lap. “That’s what family does.” He grinned, showing off large fangs.

“Darn right that’s what we do!” Nya grinned too, slinging an arm around Lloyd’s neck and he laughed.

Cole smiled as he scratched under Rux’s chin, hearing him purr as he did. Yeah. Everything would turn out fine, he was sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop a little late here. My sense of time is warped af. But hey! Tempest to the rescue! I wouldn't say he's shy but as a whole nother personality that's more like a whole new person inside Jay, he's new to most concepts. That and actually feeling emotions rather than bat them aside with a smile and carefulness can be a little overwhelming for him. Anyways thanks as always for reading!!!


	24. Chapter 24

In the end, they ended up having a sleepover in the living space, blankets, pillows and the like put together to create one huge sleeping space currently occupied by all 9 bodies on the ship, Cole watching them all fondly from his place half floating next to Kai who had Rux curled up against his chest, he as well as everyone else fast asleep. Somewhere along the night, he lost his ability to remain solid but that was expected. Being solid enough to touch, even if he couldn’t feel it, was something that was always temporary. His eyes drifted over to Jay and Nix on the other side of him, Nix all but sleeping on Jay’s face while Jay’s tail draped across Zane’s waist. Across where he lay, Nya was asleep next to Pixal, Lloyd behind her, shifting around in his sleep as he always does with Little G unmovingly nestled in his hair. Lloyd had put up a valiant effort to stay up with him as he didn’t sleep like this, but clocked out after just a few minutes after everyone else fell asleep. He was ok with this though. Not sleeping. It meant he could watch over his friends, his family as they slept. He gave them a lingering smile before he glanced out the nearest window, the previous day’s storm fading away with dawn.

He got up, floating himself over them then over to the window to look out at the outside. There was still puddles of water about and knowing the twins, there’s gonna be one heck of a mess when they wake up. Cole blinked once the sound of beating wings sounded. From just how loud they were, that had to be one of the elders.

“Five more minutes dad…” Kai mumbled, cuddling Rux closer, the latter only twitching a leg before settling again.

Cole bit back a laugh as the flapping faded out. He found it a little strange at first how Kai could call a dragon something like that- how he could call a dragon version of Garmadon like that. But then he met the dragon and immediately understood. He was… Like a father to everyone actually. Even he sometimes had to catch himself from calling him so. He huffed through his nose, placing a hand on his cheek as he floated by the window still. He was sure the latter wouldn’t have minded at all. But thinking of the elder dragon, it would be a good idea for him to seek one of them out. But considering that the sky’s not all cleared up and that the clouds were still rather low hanging, meaning that the top of the tower where they resided would still be covered in fog. He’s never come in contact with fog while being in this state before but he wasn’t willing to try. He’d let the others handle contacting them for now. A bout of anxiety pushed itself to the forefront of his mind.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little worried about the what if’s. What if the time forwarding doesn’t work? What if Vortica can’t help? What if he had to spend the rest of his life like this? He knows his friends will always be there, will always keep trying but… What if this is the one thing they can’t help with? He tries not to dwell on that little bubble of fear but it was harder said than done. In quiet moments like this, there really was no escape from them. A part of him… He clenches his fist. A part of him even believes he’ll never go back to normal...

“Cole?" He glanced over his shoulder at where Zane had just woken up, looking at him with concern. "Are you ok?" Zane asked him, despite knowing that was a loaded question.

"Yeah. Just got a bit bored is all." He shrugged.

"Oh. Should we have left the TV on? We'll make sure to do that tomorrow…" Zane murmured, glancing at the TV as he spoke.

"Nah. No need. If I wanted to, I could just possess the TV and turn it on but you guys were sleeping anyways." Cole reassured, brushing off his concern. “I heard one of the elders head out not too long ago…” He added to change the topic.

“Ah. I see. Though I’m certain whichever of them is at the tower would still have access to the time forward blade.” Zane reassured as he sat up and Cole only nods, watching as he stood up. “Since I’m first to awaken, I’ll make breakfast.” He announced then headed into the kitchen space.

“Cool.” Cole mumbled to himself, looking out again.

Sure he was able to somewhat eat but what would be the sense in that? He can’t taste anything and it would only result in food wasted. He sighed. Here’s to hoping he can actually have a body again soon…

____

“What?” Wu looked at the half dragons with large gold eyes, utterly surprised.

“So I take it you guys never had to deal with ghosts before?” Jay asked, looking up at the surprised group.

“No. No we hadn’t.” Wisp answered, looking over Cole curiously.

“This is what this world’s version of me looked like as a ghost?” Morro asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked over Cole just floating there.

“Yes and no. He was way more edgier- and he wasn’t wearing pants.” Kai told him and Morro gave an intrigued sound.

“So can you turn me back?” Cole asked hopefully.

“I can try, though matters of the soul are usually out of time’s hands.” Wu says, talking in as much of him as possible before he rested on his back paws and reached out to the space before him with his front, confusing the team- that is until a gold rift opened up and Wu slipped his paw inside then pulled out the time forward blade.

“I didn’t know you could do that!” Lloyd sputtered, awed.

“Well, uncle is a creation dragon so of course he could create pocket dimensions. How else do you think he stores all the stuff he has?” Lloydie asked, tilting his head to the side and Lloyd immediately began wondering if their Wu could do the same. That would explain where he keeps getting all those different kinds of tea leaves, despite rarely leaving the Monastery…

“The power of time is only meant to be used by those chosen to do so. I may not be able to use it as precisely as they can.” Wu warned as he grasped the lowly glowing green blade. “You may become older than you were or I may not forward time far enough.” He told Cole who was nodding, even before Wu had finished.

“Being old is better than being a ghost, trust me. Do it.” He told Wu who nodded.

“You guys might wanna stand clear.” Mist told the others and they spread their wings and flew towards the dragons, Nya carrying Pixal as they did.

“Alright.” Wu nods then grasped the blade firmly, it’s light increasing before he aimed it at Cole.

He watched as the beam of green shot at him, unable to feel its effect but that was no surprise. It was apparent soon after however, that it wasn’t working. Wu stopped the blast as he gave a hum of contemplation.

“Give it another shot! You might not have fast forward time on me enough!” He called up to the elder and he and the other dragons shared a look.

“Very well.” Wu says then attempts it again- but to Cole and the rest of the team’s dismay, the results stayed the same.

He was still a ghost.

“As I feared. Time truly has no influence on the soul. Krux might have been able to turn the time back on you while you were physical but that also exempted you from being troubled by time.” Wu murmured in thought and Cole’s breath hitched.

“S-so I’m gonna be a ghost forever?!” He couldn’t help the tone of panic that slipped into his tone.

“Unlikely.” Shard spoke up. “This was done by unnatural methods so the chances of this being permanent is slim. What will most likely happen is that this will wear off on its own. It may take some time as we aren’t sure how long you were a ghost for before, nor are we sure exactly when he sent you back. So you could return to normal any time within the period of time you were a ghost for.” He theorized.

“That might take months…” Nya says with a frown on the head of her dragon counterpart, Pixal nearby.

“But it only took a few seconds with my father…” Lloyd says, allowing the little black dragon to coil around his wrist.

“That might be due to time being reversed on him seconds before he became split apart.” Zane spoke up. And really, that might be for the best as we aren’t sure how him being whole for longer would affect Lord Garmadon.” He murmured.

“That’s way too long to sit around and wait though.” Kai spoke up with a frown.

“Yeah! We can’t just sit around doing nothing about it!” Jay protested.

“Then we move on to plan b.” Pixal says, pulling out the small messenger Vortica left behind.

“Don’t worry Cole, we’ll get you back to normal soon.” Kai says as he glided down to where Cole was floating, watching them converse back and forth.

Cole gave him a wan smile, hoping they really could… Before he starts disappearing…

“What should we send her?” Nya asked them as Pixal pulled up the message log.

“*Any cure for the ghost itch?*” Jay suggested. “What?” He asked when they all gave him a look.

“Why not that?” Lloydie asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Going by what we’ve heard of her, Vortica won’t put too much effort into reading a long message so the shorter the better.” Morro reminded and the team contemplated that.

“Morro has a point. Shorter messages would be better.” Zane nodded.

“Alright.” Pixal nodded then typed and sent a quick *Cole’s a ghost. Any cure?* off to Vortica.

Pixal blinked when there was an immediate reply.

“I liked ‘cure for the ghost itch’ better’.” Pixal read aloud and Jay gave a loud ‘ha!’. “Oh. I’m getting a call. Fascinating.” She says then answered, blinking at the holograph of Vortica that popped up.

“So it happened here too. Surprising since it’s a rare phenomenon I’ve only encountered once before. Nevertheless, gather ‘round little ninja. Cole will need your help to overcome this one.” She says as she shifted to sit on her side, the ninja quickly gathering around Pixal on Mist’s head. “Alright. First thing’s first, the dragons and their powers are still adapting to your world, since as you might have noticed, their world and powers follow different laws of physics. In the dimension I’ve seen it happen in before, only one of those little dragons were babyfied and it was done on purpose. But given how close that dimension is to yours, the solution will be the same. Cole will need to embrace this ghostly state of his completely. That or wait four and a half months-”

“What?!” Cole interrupted, the very idea of becoming- ok with being a ghost completely absurd to him. “No way! There has to be some other way-”

“There isn’t.” Vortica interrupted back. “Truth of the matter is, you really aren’t a ghost. The laws of time are different in the dragon dimension from they are yours. If it happened in their dimension, you would actually be a ghost for who knows how long. Your world’s laws of time refused to bow to theirs so as a compromise that wouldn’t tear apart the very fabric of reality, it instead created an ultra realistic illusion over you. One that can only be broken by accepting what that illusion is. It allows you all the abilities you have as a ghost still but you aren’t. Complicated, yeah but better than the destruction of your dimension.” She shrugged.

“... So just Rux using his powers almost destroyed our dimension? Aha… Anyone else terrified and might have nightmares for weeks?” Jay asked skittishly.

“... That doesn’t make sense…” Cole says, struggling to understand and Vortica huffed.

“Better get used to that now. Nothing about dimensions makes sense. Every dimension has laws. Some are close to yours which makes it easy to understand but others are some of the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen. One dimension I remember couldn’t have chocolate exist or it would cause a domino effect that would lead up to the destruction of the planet there.” She huffed and they looked at each other confused. “Anyway, it’s one or the other. Accept it or wait for it to wear off. No in betweens and it’s all up to you. Friends just make it easier.” Vortica shrugged, bringing a straw in a cup of boba to her mouth to drink.

Cole frowned. No way can he up and accept that he was a ghost, not when disappearing will be just around the corner and no way can he deal with this for four and a half months… But at the same time… If this really was some complex illusion and he’s really not a ghost… Then… It should be fine… Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the inconsistent updates but I am trying my best! This chapter might be a little confusing but dimensions are confusing. I'll clear things up over the course of the next two or so chapters so dw! Cole's arc has just about reached the middle and once I'm done with that then I'll get to the finale. I expect the finale to take up a little over 10 chapters so you can see we're in the endgame now (lol I couldn't resist). I'll try to put all my focus on this up to the end!  
Thanks for reading!!!


	25. Chapter 25

“How does one even embrace ghostliness?” Kai asked as he rested his cheek in his palm, swishing his tail high and low out of the twin’s reach while they darted after it.

“If it were me I’d just have some fun with it.” Jay shrugged from his place next to Kai, also keeping his tail out of reach from the twins, his with it’s pointy and low current holding horns being more dangerous than Kai’s.

“Jay’s been pretty spot on with most of these things surprisingly so I suggest giving that idea a go.” Zane says, ignoring Jay’s yell of ‘hey!’.

“How does one even have fun as a ghost?” Cole asked dryly, mimicking Kai’s posture but while floating inches off the deck of the Bounty. “I can’t feel, taste or smell.” He reminded them.

“Yeah but you can possess stuff, can’t you?” Nya asked and Cole paused at that.

“Yeah but what would I even possess? Then what do I even do once I do that?” He asked her.

“Pff. You’re thinking about this waaay too much!” Jay says as he hopped to his feet. “Tell you what! Why don’t you possess me?” He asked with a grin, startling everyone.

“Now hold on.” Tempest interrupted almost immediately. “There’s already two of us in here. Three’s a crowd.” He admonished.

“I was thinking the same thing.” Pixal had to agree.

“But that’s not a bad idea. Possessing objects is pretty boring, especially when there’s not much you can do in them aside from statues.” Tempest hummed with a sly grin in place. “So that’s why you should possess one of the dragons.” He says, gesturing to the group of 8 dragons watching them and they blinked, surprised.

“That’s an even worse idea. The dragons are not only large but are complicated in reference to their dimension versus ours.” Zane says with a frown.

“Actually, I’d like to know what it’s like.” All eyes turned to Morro. “I mean, I’m the smallest and in this world, I was a ghost. I just think I’d take it better. That and the idea of possession is intriguing.” He shrugged with his wings.

“I dunno…” Cole says hesitantly, looking to Wu for wisdom.

“I must admit, I too am intrigued. Morro is more adaptable than we are due to his time in the Cursed Plains so I have no worries that he will be able to handle something like possession. It’s a matter if you can achieve doing so however. Dragon souls are as large as our bodies. It won’t be an easy feat for you to take it over.” Wu warned him.

“That’s why he won’t be taking it over.” Tempest spoke up then turned to Cole. “What you’re gonna do is something like Jay and I have: a partnership. Once you enter Morro’s body, you won’t fight for control of his body, you’ll let him give you control. It can be partial or full control since it’s his body. He’ll decide.” He shrugged.

“Says you but you barely give me any control when you take over.” Jay huffed, crossing his arms.

“I’m giving you control right now aren’t I?” Tempest countered, arching a brow and the team looked on in amazement, confusion and a lot of trepidation as the two began bickering back and forth.

They never witnessed them both having an out loud conversation before and it was kinda weird in a creepy way. Their expressions change with a drop of a pin… But it made it clear how different they were. Jay’s voice was higher and his posture was high strung while Tempest’s voice was lower by an octave or so and his posture is always relaxed, even while being clearly annoyed with Jay. Cole pried his eyes off of the two (one?) they looked to Morro.

“You sure? I can’t promise it’ll be pleasant…” He warned.

“I’m sure.” Morro nodded then sat straighter, his tail whipping back and forth. “Wouldn’t you like to know what it’s like using wind?” He countered and well.

He got him there.

“... Alright.” Cole sighed then floated up before the wind dragon. “But if you want me to leave, just say the word.” He told him and Morro huffed through his nose but nodded.

Cole took an unneeded breath before he floated forward, disappearing in Morro’s large chest. Everyone watched in silence, breaths held as they waited for something to happen. Then, a low, eerie, misty green glow settled over Morro.

“Woah… What a view…” That was clearly Cole’s voice.

“Holy heck it worked!” Wisp gasped.

“You in there Morro?” Lloydie asked a bit nervously, glancing over his smaller cousin.

“Yeah.” Morro answered. “It’s not unpleasant. It’s as if he’s right over my wing to be honest.” He explained, lifting a paw and squeezing it into a ball.

“I do feel suddenly stronger however.” He added.

“That’s the power of earth for you. I guess you can both use each other’s powers now.” Rocky hummed, walking around Morro. “You do feel like an earth dragon now after all…” He murmured.

“Could I use your powers?” Morro asked aloud and seemed to have gotten a response unheard by them since he turned to Rocky with a nod.

“Then come with. Let’s see how strong you guys really are.” He taunted as he turned away before taking air.

Morro huffed through his nose at the challenge as they spread their wings- only to pause.

“You guys are coming, right?” They asked, glancing back at the ninja on deck.

“As if we’d miss this!” Was Kai’s immediate response before he hopped off deck and shifted to his larger dragon form. “Let’s go guys!” He called after the others, scooping up both twins in his paws before he took air.

“You heard the man!” Jay grinned, unfurling his wings from his back before taking to the sky, his friends following one by one with Pixal this time using a jetpack she put together as her means of transport.

Rocky lead them all to a clearing not too far away near the edge of the forest, turning towards them and watching as they landed.

“Alright. Let’s see what you’ve got.” Rocky huffed, standing straighter and the duo pondered their next move as the others settled at a safe distance away.

_ ‘I’m not big on Dragon customs. Does he expect us to fight him?’ _ Cole asked.

_ ‘No. He expects us to show us our strongest move. We have no need to fight as adults. A show in power is more than enough.’ _ Morro told him and Cole thinks he could get behind that.

_ ‘Alright. Then let's see what we can do. How does your wind work?’ _ Cole asked him.

_ ‘Like this.’ _ Morro demonstrated by shifting his position to a firmer stance, a gust of wind pouring off his body as he did.

Cole got the feel of it however. It was more free than earth was so he thinks he could make this work.

_ ‘I have an idea…’ _ Cole hummed and Morro relinquished more control to him.

Rocky could tell the moment they decided when the look in their bi-coloured green eyes changed. They flexed their wings before rearing up on their hind legs with a roar, dropping down again with force, creating a widening fissure in the ground starting from just before them. More dangerously, gale force winds were sucking anything within reach down into its depths. Rocky dug his claws in the ground to not get sucked in, letting himself become as immovable as the earth he commanded.

“That’s a pretty powerful mix.” Rocky commends and they brought the winds to a stop, the fissure moving towards him stopping.

He knew they could do something like this on a much larger scale and it would be devastated in the wrong paws. But looking at how excited they were to have used each other's powers, small dust devils popping up around them as they did, he knew they were in the right ones.

“That was so cool!” Jay whooped loudly.

“Most impressive!” Zane too commended, the ninja and dragons alike praising them and the duo felt bashful under their praises.

“Me next! Let’s test it out!” Blaze says trotting forward as the two separated.

“You sure?” Cole asked with a lopsided grin, actually having fun with this.

“Yeah! Let’s do this!” Blaze nods as Morro headed to where the others were- spotting Lloyd a bit behind the rest.

He bypassed his supervising father to lay next to him.

“Bad memories?” Morro asked in a low rumble, the others too distracted by Cole possessing Blaze.

He knew all about Lloyd’s time being possessed, as he as curious about the version of himself from this world and had asked him about it.

“Yeah.” Lloyd didn’t bother to deny, fiddling with his claws. “I know being possessed by Cole is different from what I went through… But it brings back those memories and…” He gripped his arm tightly as he gritted his teeth.

“It’s been years… You think I’d be over it by now…” Lloyd whispered to himself but Morro caught it.

He watched him before he looked back to the others watching as Blaze and Cole conjured lava.

“Trauma is never something you ‘should be over’.” Morro murmured low. “It impacted you enough to leave a lasting impression. It’s like a wound. It may heal but if it’s deep enough, it’ll leave a scar. And even if it doesn’t leave a scar, it sometimes leaves a memory. That memory, that scar may fade out with time. Sometimes while it does fade, it doesn’t disappear and that’s ok too. The point is, these things take time. You will recover, that’s certain, but in your own time and in your own way. The memory, the impression may always be there but you will heal. Even if it takes ten thousand days. Even if it takes an eternity. It’ll happen. And you? You’re not healed yet but that’s ok. Good medicine is friends and family though.” He hummed and Lloyd blinked, looking up at him a little surprised at his words.

“I know a little something about trauma myself. We all do. It differs for each dragon, for each person but we’ve all had a taste at some point.” Morro continued then gave a huff, putting on a dragon’s equivalent of a smile on. “And well, I’m still healing too. Faster thanks to that medicine.” He told Lloyd, his tail flicking back and forth.

“But if it’s too much for you, it’s alright to say so and to ask for some space, to take a moment for yourself.” He turned his attention back to Lloyd. “If you’d like, we could take a quick flight. The sea looks nice from above at this time…” He suggests and Lloyd paused to ponder, glancing back at the others who were watching as Blaze and Cole filled the fissure three quarters of the way up.

“Yeah. That sounds good.” Lloyd nodded as he got up and Morro gestured to his back with his head, letting Lloyd climb on before he took off.

Wu watched him go, having overheard their conversation. He turned back to where Cole had separated himself from Blaze, the latter still excited from the experience if the flames coating his body wasn’t enough evidence. Mist tapped in next, letting Cole possess her too. Morro has grown a lot over the past few years. He was almost nothing like the small wind dragon he found scrounging off the scraps of the other dragon’s meals in the southern mountains. The last of his kind. He was glad he had come this far as a dragon, even if the journey here was one he would never wish on him, or on any dragon. He was growing up, becoming a fully fledged adult right before his eyes. For the longest time, he feared he missed his chance to see it, had feared his mistakes as a father had sent his only son to his demise. He had spent many years looking for him, had searched high and low.

He had spent so many days around the Spirit Mist, his brother had dragged him out of the room in fear he may get ill. Had it not been for a sleep vision not even bestowed on him, but on his brother, he would have never checked the Cursed Plains in time and he would have lost him. Wu forced his tense muscles at the memory to relax. He supposes this was his wound. Not yet healed… But getting there. He watched as together, Cole and Mist filled the rest of the fissure with mud, the others debating on who gets to go next, the Ninja laughing with merriment, even as they ‘accidentally’ splashed a bit of mud their way and watched as the twins who didn’t understand what was going on but were just as excited as everyone else. A pleased rumble left his chest. He was right as well. Friends and family was indeed a great medicine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An on time post!! I'm really buckling down on this as you can probably tell. There's two more chapters on Cole's arc then we start the last arc and wrapping things up. The problem with ending a fic this long is worrying if you've missed something out in the wrap up but I'm sure I've got everything covered. I'll be uploading the chapters as soon as I finish em so if I finish them earlier than normal then I'll post em same time. Chapters after Cole's arc will most likely be longer! Thanks for sticking around!


	26. Chapter 26

Cole had to admit, now that he wasn’t focusing on the negatives, this whole ghost thing was pretty fun. While he was possessing the others, he had all five senses again which was absolutely great. Possessing someone for a few minutes a day actually helps out a lot and makes the rest of the day without it a bit easier. Not to mention how cool it is to use their powers. Each one feels pretty different and needs different approaches. He never really saw it that way, you know? But what was equally entertaining was watching the shock and awe of the dragons as he casually passed through trees and solid surfaces. It’s even more entertaining for the twins. He was afraid he’d spook them too badly doing it but they were tough little guys that did indeed get spooked but in a way that made them even more excited and well, now? 

Cole grinned as he peaked up through the ground just outside the Dragon Tower, just behind the two searching dragons. He slowly floated forward, only his head above his nose visible, creeping up on the two as they searched everywhere but behind them. He and Jay were the only ones out here, the others gone to New Ninjago City to deal with a group terrorizing the city and they needed the Bounty to get there quickly. Jay was watching them, content to sunbathe not too far away on his stomach, wings spread to help him absorb the warmth of the sun easier. Cole crept closer, his hand phasing up through the ground as he reached for them- Jay gave a grunt and Nix quickly whirled around, giving a high roar of triumph of finally being able to catch him before he spooked them.

“Jay that’s cheating.” Cole huffed, shooting a glare at the lightning nin that stuck a long, forked tongue out at him before grinning.

“Oh come on, let the kids win too for once.” Jay huffed at him before he sat up, warm and toasty all over. “Games aren’t fun when there’s only one constant winner.” He reminded him chuckling as Nix ran over, burying himself in his arms.

“You’re getting big! Pretty soon, I won’t be able to hug you like this at all!” Jay laughed as Nix wiggled in his excitement, already taller than him while sitting.

“They are getting big, huh.” Cole smiled as he rose up from the deck only to crouch in front of Rux watching him curiously, getting closer to attempt to sniff at him- but he had no scent like this. “Who knows? Maybe in the next few months or so they’ll be Morro’s size…” He says, imagining it.

“The dragon’s time runs differently after all. I mean, from what Kai told us, Lloidie did go from a little older than these two to almost an adult in like… Two months or so.” Jay shrugged. “We’ve had them for almost three months now and they’ve grown a lot. They went from barely being able to walk to big, strong dragons in no time!” He grinned, nuzzling Nix who gave a happy coo, nuzzling him back, his wiggling increasing.

Cole laughed at the sight of the two, a smile lingering after. Who knew raising dragons would be this much fun? Sure getting them potty trained was easier said than done and sure they still liked to gnaw at whatever they could and get into all sorts of trouble but they were worth it. He reached out to place a hand on Rux’s head- then blinked, realising he wasn’t- His hand made contact anyway, his body solidifying as he did. Cole stared as Rux purred, rubbing himself up against his hand before lunging forward, pulling a yelp from Cole as he fell back, Rux now sitting on his stomach, looking down at him triumphantly with his wings half spread.

“Alright bud, you win, you win.” Cole huffed, reaching up to pet his snout.

He was smart enough to realise that there were times he could and couldn’t touch Cole where Nix often makes that mistake. Rux gave a huff through his snout then hopped of him and gave a chirp of a certain tone they knew well.

“Looks like it’s lunch time, but the others aren’t back yet.” Cole says, scanning the sky for any signs of them.

“The two of us can totally handle this, don’t worry.” Jay grinned as he got up. “The river’s not too far away and there should be plenty to eat out there. This area’s pretty warm all year around so there’s fish and food all year ‘round.” He told Cole as he marched ahead into the forest, Nix trotting after him.

“That might be but I’m no good with water…” Cole mumbled, following after him as Rux trotted ahead, catching up with his brother.

____

“Jay, I’m not so sure about this…” Cole says nervously, floating high over the bank of the river where Jay walked along, looking for a good spot to fish from.

“Relax Cole! I’ve got this! You just stay up there!” Jay reassured, both dragon younglings trotted after him, pausing at times to look at the river or an interesting plant but keeping close to Jay.

“Right. Relax.” Cole says flatly, taking his higher viewpoint to keep an eye out for anything dangerous.

These forests, as regularly visited by dragons as they were, still had beasts and entities that would not hesitate to attack them since they were much, much smaller. He didn’t want to chance how fast he could float with how fast an enemy could move.

“This looks like a good spot!” Jay grinned, gesturing to a pool of water that was rather deep further up stream.

“Jay that’s way too deep for them. They don’t even know how to swim.” Cole pointed out.

“Then today’s a good day to learn!” Jay called back as he walked in a bit. “You guys stay there first.” He told Nix and Rux who were at the banks and they sat, understanding stay.

“What are you planning?” Cole asked with narrowed eyes, settling closer to the twins.

“You’ll see.” Jay hummed then stopped once the water was up to his neck.

Cole watched as Jay’s straight, backwards facing horns charged with electricity before he realised what he was planning. With that,he sent a pulse of low electricity through the water- and almost simultaneously, several stunned fish popped up to the twin’s amazement.

“Come in and eat as much as you want!” Jay says as he pick up the closest one and sunk his teeth in.

The two excitedly hopped in then, wading in to grab one and taking it to shore to eat. Cole would have been worried about the electrical current in the water still but this was Jay. He may be accident prone but he knows his lightning.

“I thought you hated raw food.” Cole commented, watching him all but swallow the rest of the fish.

“Raw meat.” Jay corrected with a huff, moving towards shore with as much fish as he could carry. “Raw fish is just sushi and I like sushi.” He shrugged, piling the fish on shore, leaving the majority he missed to break free from being stunned and swim away.

“Eat up! We’ll digest then learn how to doggy paddle- or in this case, dragon paddle.” Jay grinned and Cole rolled his eyes but didn’t comment.

Them learning how to swim at this age could really save them if they were to end up in a situation.

______

“There you go! Kick those little paws! You can do it!” Cole cheered, watching the two paddle in the water without Jay this time.

“You’re more excited about this than they are.” Tempest hummed, holding his arms out for them as their goal.

“Shut up you.” Cole huffed from above, floating down closer, watching as they kept going, clearly racing against the other with the look of focus on their faces.

Rux was faster though, what with him being more active than the two. Nix watched Jay play video games as his means of entertainment while Rux made trouble of himself, climbing anything he could and keeping himself entertained with self play- or their tails.

“We have a winner.” Tempest says once Rux reached his hand first, Nix giving a protesting whine as he swum in moments after.

“Don’t worry about it. You can beat your brother in lots of other things.” Tempest murmured as he headed towards shore with them both, the water supporting their weight up until their small paws touched the ground and they walked the rest of the way out themselves, shaking out their wings on reflex. “If you don’t want these two catching a cold, I suggest we get them back to the tower to warm up.” He says as Cole followed behind them.

“You know, you’re surprisingly good with them. Why don’t you hang around with them more?” Cole asked Tempest as they headed back.

“Oh don’t be fooled. Jay’s the one who’s dealing with them. I’m only in control mind-wise right now, not body.” Tempest dismissed. “I’ve seen enough of the modern world through Jay. It’s places like this I prefer. Less people, less problems.” He shrugged, lazy smile in place.

“You know, for a person who seems to hate people, you sure come out a lot when you’re surrounded by the whole team.” Cole pointed out with an arched brow and Tempest shrugged.

“‘Course. There’s a big difference between people and…” His smile slips but only to become smaller and more honest. “And friends…” He whispered, surprising Cole.

Before he could properly react however, loud wing beats interrupted and they looked up at the tower they just arrived at.

“The last two Kronos Steel blades are ready.” The dark elder dragon told them as he and his brother landed before them, both of which were holding a blade.

That’s right. Yesterday when he heard Garmadad leaving, he actually went to Torchfire Mountain to gather embers of the volcano to help forge the metals sooner. The elders were fearful of what else their powers could do to them so they decided to nudge the fire dragons providing the heat in which the metal dragons need to forge the blades a bit further by having them consume the embers to temporarily double the heat of their fire to make the hard to melt metal even more pliant. Rux uneasily shifted closer to where Cole was floating, not liking the situation at all.

“Hey, don’t worry.” Cole says as he knelt, reaching a hand out to stroke between the nubs of his horns growing in, his hand becoming solid on contact. “It won’t hurt a pinch and you’ll get your powers back when you’re a little older.” He promised him and while Rux was still uneasy, he relaxed some with Cole there.

He then turned to Garm and nodded, shifting closer to hug Rux to him once he lowered the blade over them. He watched in awe as amber energy rose up from Rux, getting sucked into the blade itself, creating a huge time blade. The same was done with Nix, his blue time energy absorbed inside the blade, leaving the bright blue streak down the side of his body a dull one.

“Good job…” Cole murmured, nuzzling him and Rux purred as both brothers sent the newest time blades to Wu’s pocket dimension.

“Indeed.” Wu rumbled. “It’s as you know, temporary. Once they’ve reached a certain age where we are sure they can actively make the right decisions, we will return their powers in full.” He reminds them.

“Even if they show malicious intent?” Tempest asked them.

“That is the only scenario where their powers would remain with us.” Garmadad told them. “Though that is a scenario we are certain, will not happen.” He added and Tempest hummed.

“Jay wants to know if you guys wanna join our movie night tonight.” He told the dragon elders who blinked, never expecting that.

“Yeah! It’ll be fun! Food and entertainment! We have a projector so Zane can use his ice to make a like, wall to run the movie on! The other dragons could come too if they wanted!” Jay grinned, patting Nix’s head from where he reached his waist.

Both brothers shared a look as Cole huffed.

“Sounds like fun.” Garmadad murmured affectionately.

_____

That was how they had the most chaotic movie night yet. A lot of dragons turned up, almost all the dragons present at the tower- which was at least half the dragon population. They had to make the block of ice they would project on it much bigger. Luckily, Shard and the other ice dragons were there to help. They also had to organize the dragons, not only by size, but horn size as well. That and they had to have the elders translate the movie but they didn’t mind at all. And let’s not forget snacks… By the end of it, they were all tuckered out but they had a lot of fun. The dragons really seem to like the movie- even though it was an animated film. Cole went to tuck in the dragons as everyone else cleaned up- and by the time they too returned to their room to sleep- they stumbled upon a very human Cole fast asleep between the two dragons on their nest.

“Holy shit! Cole!” Kai gasped but the earth ninja only grumbled and hushed them as Rux struggled closer than he already was.

“Cole you’re not a ghost anymore!” Nya told him excitedly, still baffled.

“Sleep now, celebrate later.” Was all the earth nin grumbled, his face relaxing again soon after as he drifted off again.

The group looked at each other, a little baffled before Lloyd yawned.

“I can get behind that.” He murmured, heading over to his bed and crawling in.

One by one, they followed Lloyd’s example- all but Kai that is. He slept with the twins as a means of warmth for them. It’ll be a tight fit with Cole there but he’ll make it work. With that, he slid in behind Nix and extended his wing over him, Cole and Rux as he settled in. He was just glad Cole was back to normal...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is technically on time and not early but only because writing a chapter before some actually exciting stuff goes down is hard af so sorry if this chapter seemed low qual. I hope you guys liked it still! One more chapter until the final arc! Thanks for reading!


	27. Chapter 27

The day was a rare one. Everyone was present just outside the Bounty, the elders, their dragon selves, the ninja, Morro and the twins all present. A massive space was being taken up by the dark dragon elder who was flat on his back, taking in the sunny day. The temperatures were rather warm for winter due to the location but they were still noticeably low, lower still at the top of the tower. So with no immediate need for them, all nine dragons came down to soak up some sun. Wu was more reserved, laying on his stomach with Morro tucked into his side, their eyes closed in a light doze while his brother was determined to get as much sun as possible.

And well, his adopted sons were weak to such an opportunity. Which was why he had Lloydie and Kai at his sides, on his wings on their backs as well but they kept their wings closed so they could press against his sides, both dragons purring in content as Lloyd laid sprawled out on the massive black dragon’s head, one of his famous Horns of Destruction pressing against his side and preventing him from falling off. The rest of the dragons were piled together with the rest of the ninja team in various positions on their bodies, Shard blowing snowflakes to keep the energy filled twins busy, chasing the shimmering white carvings of ice as they fell, chirping and roaring in glee as they hit their scales as cool water drops.

All and all, it was a good day. A great one even. No-one had thought much of the approaching sound of quick wing beats, as the dragons liked to race across the sky. That was, until-

‘Elders! Elders help!’ Garmadad was on his feet in seconds, his large wings curling around both of his larger sons and the upward tilt of his snout he kept being the only things keeping his sons from flying off him.

Both he and Wu who were now on their feet looked to where the metal dragon was flying in fast, almost crash landing in her rush.

‘Silver. What has happened?’ Wu asked the silver coloured dragon as she panted heavily.

‘Torch!’ She huffed out before drawing in a deep breath. ‘We were through the forests close to the city and we got separated! When I found her, she was- she sleeping in some strange looking bushes along with a lot of other creatures but she wouldn’t wake up! I tried getting to her but when I tried to get closer, I started feeling sleepy! I figured that must have been what happened to Torch so I didn’t get any closer- so I tried calling out to her instead but she won’t wake up! No matter how loudly I call her nor how much I throw rocks!’ She told them woefully and the brothers were immediately troubled by this.

‘I’ve read of this world’s flora and one comes to mind.’ Wu says to his brother as the others gathered around, curious about the commotion.

‘Their Charming Flowers.’ Garmadad agrees, puzzling over how they could save their fallen dragon. ‘We must go. Perhaps my powers will be able to destroy the plants.’ He says, turning to Wu.

‘Do not be quick to rely on your destructive powers brother. You have yet to hone them. It is too great of a risk.’ Wu admonishes and Garmadad grumbles but he knew that was true.

There hasn’t been a moment to tame these abilities of his, what with all that happened after the fight against the Oni of their world.

‘We can’t sit around here and do nothing though.’ Lloydie protests, walking up to his father and uncle, Kai by his side.

‘Yeah. It’s obvious if we don’t wake them up somehow then they’ll stay asleep forever.’ Kai rumbled, looking up at the two.

“We have to get to the location to gauge the situation.” Zane pointed out. “My database tells me those who fall asleep under the flower’s influence will not wake so we are running out of time. We don’t know if removing Torch from the flowers will have her wake up naturally or if we need to do more to wake her up afterwards. Point is, we have a little less than three days to wake her up before she passes from dehydration.” He told them, watching the horrified looks that crossed the dragon’s face, save for Silver who didn’t understand human language.

“Then we haven’t a moment to spare.” Wu says, spreading his wing. ‘Silver, take us to the location.’ He requests and she nodded, flying off, both brothers taking off as well.

“We’ll follow with the Bounty.” Pixal says as she climbed up the ladder to the ship’s deck.

“You guys go. I’ll stay back at the tower. With both Uncle and my dad gone, someone has to keep an eye on things here.” Lloydie told the others.

“I’ll stay too. Two eyes are better than one.” Morro says as he walked over and Lloyd nodded, watching as the rest flew off as well.

“We’ll look after these two too.” Lloyd says, walking over to where Nix and Rux were looking at them in confusion but were cautious enough with the sudden change in atmosphere to stick close to Cole.

“Are you sure? I can stay if you need.” Cole offered.

“Yes, we’re sure. Our fathers will need your help. We may have been here for some time but this world is not ours. We are unused to it still.” Morro told them before he leaned down and picked Rux up by the back of his neck, the latter tucking his feet and wings close as he did.

“Go on. We’ll wait for you to get back.” Lloyd told them, doing the same to Nix before they spread their wings and flew off, back to the tower.

“We better hurry.” Nya says and they quickly spread their wings and flew up to the ship as Pixal began taking off.

____   
The trip to the Forest of Tranquility was a short one, the group catching up with the dragons just at the outskirts of the forest. Already they faced a problem. As large as the Forest of Tranquility and its trees were, the elders were finding it impossible to fly through the thicket of trees, their bodies too large. Luckily, they could track Silver from above and fit through the trees by walking with their wings close.

‘She’s over there.’ Silver pointed out with her snout to the orange-red dragon fast asleep amidst a large bed of Charming flowers, animals and even people asleep around her. ‘I left this log here so I remember not to go any further.’ She rumbled, nudging said log blocking the path ahead.

“This is the largest gathering of Charming Flowers ever recorded.” Pixal says as she and the others came over as well. “They’re known to sprout in groups but this is several times larger than their standard patches.” She told them with a frown.

“But signs show that volcanic ash from the Temple of Fire seemed to have blown this way and greatly enriched the soil…” Zane murmured, scanning the faint patches of gray on the ground. “That combined with their abnormal grouping must have strengthened the flower’s influence.” He murmured in thought then lifted his head.

“Nevertheless, Pixal and I should be able to cut and kill the plants so everyone else can get to her.” He says as he turned to the elders who nodded.

“Be careful however. While we are unfamiliar with this world still, we are familiar with the magic that runs untamed in this world… And those plants have a lot of it.” Garmadad told them and they nodded before walking forward, Zane pulling out a kunai to cut the plants if needed while Pixal prepared her in arm saw.

They walked around the log, Zane leading the way- before he froze just two steps ahead, the wings he hadn’t bothered putting away flaring open wide to stop Pixal.

“Zane, what’s-”

“We can’t get to the plants.” Zane interrupted Cole’s call of concern.

“I’m afraid Zane is correct.” Pixal says as they backed away from the plants, Pixal holding her head. “The plant’s magic seems to be able to work on us as well. My sleep protocol was being activated on it’s own.” She told them as they retreated safely behind the log.

“Then-! How are we gonna save Torch and those other animals?!” Jay sputtered.

“We have to think.” Shard spoke up, sitting on his haunches to place a curled paw under his chin while the other supported his arm- a very human pose. “None of us can get close enough to the plants without falling under their influence but we still need to get close enough to destroy the plants. And I suppose none of you have any tools or means to reach from a distance?” He asked, looking to the ninja.

“Sadly, no.” Nya told them. “They’re way too far out for any tools we have and even if we did have something that long, it’ll be easier said than done moving it around through the trees, not to mention the fact that it would be time consuming. That and the weight of it would also become a problem.” She explained.

“Kai and I could try burning them but we aren’t certain if those other creatures are even alive.” Blaze says with a frown, glancing across at his doppelganger next to him.

“That and we’d cause a massive forest fire and endanger a lot of people.” Kai pointed out.

“Ice won’t be very helpful. We’d only end up freezing everyone and in order to get anyone out, we need to break the ice around them- and the plants will be in that ice around them.” Zane ruled out.

“Water’s a no go here too. There’s nothing we can do that wouldn’t risk Silver drowning.” Mist says and Nya nodded her agreement.

“Lightning’s a bust too. We’d either start a forest fire or electrocute Silver.” Jay shrugged, Wisp nodding his agreement.

“Earth won’t be able to do much either. We might crush someone- or worse.” Rocky spoke up and Cole nodded his agreement as well.

“My energy won’t do much. My powers kind of evolved out of shields.” Lloyd reported with a shake of his head, beady red eyes watching them from his hair.

“... Perhaps I could create a means to remove the flowers- or at the very least, it’s captors. But what?” Wu questioned in thought.

“That’s what we have to figure out, and soon.” Garmadad rumbled then draped a wing low, over Silver’s back as she watched Torch with pain in her eyes. ‘We will free her.’ He promised her, intent on keeping his word and she looked up at him hopefully before she nodded and looked back to her partner.

________

Thinking of something was easy. Thinking of something effective- and something that would actually work? Not so much. But this? This was their best idea yet. A means of transport that was air tight, that was small enough to get by the large trees with ease while having tools and equipment to extract and remove the flowers from the area. They had no time to build it manually so they took an emergency visit to Borg Tower for some supplied Cyrus gladly offered to them while eyeing the winged ninja curiously, and returned to the forest.

“Ok. Let’s do this.” Cole says, cracking his knuckles as all six of them stood around the pile of parts and equipment.

“Right.” Kai nodded in his more humane form before he activated his Spinjitzu, the others doing so shortly after before they began to converge, the dragons watching them as they did to create the Tornado of Creation.

In seconds, the parts and tools they sucked in became a small four wheeled vehicle with a glass capping at the top for easy viewing.

“Alright, I’ll go and see how fast we can cut this puppy down.” Nya says as she walked towards it, opening the glass hatch to slide inside.

“Be careful sis.” Kai told her, watching as she situated herself with the controls.

“Don’t worry, I will.” She reassured, flashing him a grin before she slid the hatch back into place and started it up.

The group watched hopefully as she drove ahead, passing the log and slowly driving closer. They watched with breaths held as she inched closer- then deflated once she came to a stop, reversing almost immediately after.

“The plant’s magic is too strong.” Garmadad rumbled, clearly as displeased as the rest of them.

Night was already falling and they just took a step back from any chances of rescuing Torch.

“Any chance of you guys having magic dragons?” Jay asked dryly, flopping down to sit with a frown on his face.

“Magic isn’t an element.” Shard pointed out.

“And metal is?” Jay pointed out with an arched brow. “Uh, no offense.” He added, looking to Silver who wasn’t even paying attention, being unable to understand them as she was.

“So sayeth the master of lightning.” Garmadad says dryly and Jay looked up at him insulted to have two Garmadons having used that quip on him now as Cole laughed.

“Snap, he got you again!” He chuckled and Jay stuck his tongue out at him.

Cole’s amusement didn’t last long though, watching the others help Nya out. No-one could get close without the threat of falling prey as well. He couldn’t help but think that he could have rescued Torch ages ago… If he was still a ghost.

______

Attempts came and went, all failing, all falling short. They were running out of time. It’s been roughly two days since they’ve arrived and they were all growing desperate. Nothing Wu created could help, nothing they thought of would work and Silver had tried twice already to throw herself into harm's way. They understood. She was watching her partner die right in front of her and they could do nothing to help. They had a few hours at best. They had to think of something. Had to keep trying. Cole was helpless to watch as his friends spent hours trying to solve this, running on as little as no sleep to just a few hours since they arrived.

The solution was simple yet so out of grasp. They needed an entity that wouldn’t be swayed by sleep magic, an entity that didn’t need to sleep. They needed a ghost. A ghost that could become solid at will, a ghost that would destroy and remove the plants so they could work on waking Torch up. He glanced at the rest of the team as they pitched ideas back and forth in the bridge, looking a bit worse for wear then headed down on the deck, finding the dragons in a similar huddle. If only he was a ghost still. Then, he could have saved them all the trouble.

He gave a dry huff then looked to the sky. He never thought there’d be a day where he actually  _ wanted  _ to be a ghost. Cole blinked then, a frown tugging his lips downwards as he felt his hands starting to go… Numb, the feeling spreading all over. He stepped back from the railings, bewildered as his sense of bodily awareness went… Mute. The last time he felt like this he was- Cole’s head snapped up as he gasped, realising what was happening now. No way… Was he actually… The low green glow that washed over him confirmed it as he watched himself becoming more transparent. This was almost exactly what they needed! He just needed to make himself solid! But could he even control it? He didn’t know how…

He thought back to all the times he did become solid. How did he do it? He didn’t put a lot of thought into it, he knows. When he had strong, positive emotions, he became solid in their room that first time. Afterwards, he wanted to do something that required him to be solid and when he went to do it, he just was. That made him think. It surely was worth the try.

“Wh- Cole?! Why are you a ghost again?!” Kai yelled down at him and Cole shot him a grin.

“We’ll figure that out later! Right now, I have a dragon to save!” Cole yelled back before he floated up to the bridge and towards the weapons closet as the others exclaimed behind him.

He flexed his fingers before he reached out for the handle, grinning once he became solid to grip it then opened it.

“It’s been a while.” He says fondly, pulling out his scythe and looked it over. “Time to kill a plant.” He grinned before he headed out the others following after him.

“Wait! We don’t know how the plant affects ghosts! This is magic, remember?!” Zane called after him.

“Sleeping magic. Ghosts don’t need to sleep so I should be good.” Cole dismissed, hopping over the railings.

“Should?!” Jay sputtered as they hopped over too. “Should isn’t secure enough! You’re somehow a ghost right now Cole! If you fall asleep, you might sink into the planet! How will we save you then?!” He yelled, jogging to catch up.

“That won’t happen though.” Cole shrugged, striding forward with purpose still.

“You don’t know that for sure!” Pixal protests.

“Well, we’re about to find out anyway.” Cole grinned, hopping over the log before charging forward with a run.

He just hopes this thing really doesn’t affect him… He was closing the distance between him and the slumbering dragon quickly, already reaching much farther than any of their attempts did. It was working! He’s so close! He swung his scythe back as he approached the massive bed of plants with their circular flowers hung low and immediately began slicing into them from the root, careful to not hurt the large dragon sleeping there.

“Oh my gosh! He’s actually doing it!” Jay grinned from a safe distance.

“But there’s a problem.” Zane warns, his eyes glowing brighter as he used his zoom feature to get a better look. “Torch is sleeping on a large amount of the flowers. In order to make the area safe enough for us to approach, he needs to get rid of 85% of the plants- 50% of which is located under Torch.” He told them and the team pondered on what to do.

“If only my powers were better honed. I coil destroy the plants without the need to move Torch.” Garmadad says with visible frustration and Wu lifted his head, getting an idea.

He sat on his haunches, bringing his front paws together and focusing his energy there, gaining Garmadad’s attention.

“You have an idea?” He asked his brother who only nods once, focusing.

The smokey gold orb of light focused, taking the shape of two circles. When the light finally vanished, there were two gold rings in his paws, confusing everyone.

"What are those supposed to do?" Wisp asked curiously as Wu gestured for Garm to lower his head.

“They are meant to focus and better control my brother’s powers so he may use them without worry they may go awry.” Wu explained as he slipped them onto his older brother’s prominent horns of destruction, the bands stopping mid way.

“Of course! The solution is so obvious now!” Blaze yelled as he face-winged.

“Now is as good as a time as ever to test how well they work.” Garmadad says, rolling his wings before gathering his destructive powers, the black/purple energy gathering between his horns and flickering lightly over his body. “Stand aside Cole.” He called and Cole’s head jolted up at his voice before he quickly backed up out of the way.

He shot a streamlined blast of his destructive energy ahead, keeping his intentions on destroying the flowers- and to his amazement, it impacted- and immediately began turning all the Charming Flowers in the large gathering of it to ash. Seeing the cursed flowers that threatened to take her partner away from her finally starting to fade to ash, Silver couldn’t stay away another moment. She charged ahead for the third time- this time breaking away successfully as the group hadn’t expected her to suddenly take off. The air didn’t have that warm, hazy air to it anymore and it only pushed her to run faster.

‘Torch! Torch wake up!’ She roared as she finally crossed the space between them, nudging her insistently. ‘Come on Torch! This isn’t the time to nap!’ She insists, tugging at her wing with her snout.

“The others?” Garm asked Cole in a low tone once he and the others walked over, the rest focusing on Torch.

Cole sighed as he stood from where a middle aged man laid and shook his head.

“Just Torch.” He told him and Garmadon gave a mournful nod.

“We will give them all a proper burial.” He told him and Cole nodded then turned to where Wu had immediately began instructing Mist to feed Torch some water, holding her head at a certain angle to avoid water in her lungs.

‘Why isn’t she waking up?’ Silver asked the white scaled elder with watery eyes, keeping close to her partner.

‘It might be the plant’s effect taking some time to leave her body.’ Wu told her. ‘But the sooner she awakens, the better. Perhaps this will help...’ He added, taking out a very small- by his standards- bag attached to a rope and passed it by her nose.

Torch jolted awake then on her feet and bewildered.

‘Huh? What?’ She asked, blinking quickly a few times before she lifted a paw to rub her eyes. ‘What happened?’ She asked then froze when she caught sight of Silver as tears slid down her scales.

‘Silver?’ Torch whispered softly, brushing her wing against the side of her face.

‘Torch… You…’ Silver’s voice wavered. ‘You… You idiot!’ The group startles once Silver smacked Torch over the head with a suddenly solid metal wing.

‘Ow!’

‘I told you to be careful flying in here! You almost died!’ Silver yelled at her as Torch rubbed her throbbing head, pouting.

“Well. Looks like Torch is alright. Save for a nasty bump on the head I’m sure she’ll have.” Wisp says dryly as Silver continued to scold Torch.

“But what about you, Cole? How did you become a ghost again?” Lloyd asked, looking towards their friendly ninja ghost.

“I’m not too sure to be honest. I mean, this time I actually wanted to be a ghost since ghosts don’t sleep and I could have cut those weeds to size. But I guess I didn’t consider the parts Torch was laying on.” He shrugged then looked at his hand. “I’d love to be human again though.” He mumbled then had a feeling of sudden heaviness- and he was!

“Woah!”

“You can become a ghost at will now?” Blaze asked, looking him over curiously as Cole flexed his fingers.

“Looks like it.” He grinned up at him and his friends. “Now this, I can get used to.” He says, flicking back and forth between ghost and human once more to test it.

“We’ll have to get used to that later.” Pixal told them, Zane agreeing.

“It appears that the plant’s magical energy has been keeping them perfectly preserved. But now that it’s gone…” Zane trailed off, looking towards the people and animals that still looked peacefully asleep.

“Right. Let’s put them to rest.” Cole whispered softly.

______

They returned back to the Labyrinth once the short burial was over and a check of the entire forest was done to eradicate large blooms of the Charming Flowers and those that managed to lull victims into their beds, they headed back to the Labyrinth. Torch and Silver were immediately greeted by friends once they arrived, all glad that they were both safe and laughing at the visible bump on Torch’s head.

“Welcome back. I’m glad you guys managed to save her.” Lloydie says as he and Morro greeted them, purring happily under their fathers’ greeting nuzzles.

“It was not an easy feat but it was one of opportunities.” Wu murmured, nuzzling Morro, the smaller dragon tilting up for more.

“You’ve both done well looking after the dragons in our absence. You will both be great leaders one day.” Garmadad praised them both.

“Nix! I missed you too!” Jay laughed as Nix tackled him over, nuzzling him fervently as he gave happy chirps and coos.

“Were you good for Morro and Lloyd?” Kai asked Rux as he stroked his head Cole holding him up in his arms.

Rux only gave them large eyes and a coo both ninja immediately took as a no.

“Of course.” Cole huffed at him.

“Well, another successful mission. It was touch and go but hey! Cole’s leveled up on powers!” Kai grinned, patting Cole on his back.

“Again.” Pixal added, recalling his lava arms.

“Honestly, after becoming a ghost twice in a pretty traumatic way, I think he deserves it.” Nya shrugged and the others had to agree.

“Now if only we could hear a word from Sensei Wu…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loooong chapter update, yes but only because I'm taking the next 5 days to finish up a fic for Loving Cryptor Day on the 25th. I doubt it'll take that long to finish but It will actually be a pretty long fic so I'll take these five days just in case. After wards- or on the same day- I'll post the start of the finale and get down into business to wrap things up! That aside I really liked the idea of Cole also getting to keep his ghost powers so yea! Downside is that water in that form can still kill him so He won't always be keen to using it. Next chapter will begin with a time skip! Thanks for reading!


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